There's really only one question Indianapolis Colts fans are asking coming into Week 2. Was Daniel Jones' performance in Week 1 the real deal, or a mirage?
I have to confess that in the immediate aftermath of the Colts' ridiculously easy win over the Dolphins, I gave the lion's share - or should it be the pony's? - to Lou Anarumo's defense. Miami only had 43 yards at the half, and things really never got any better. The Colts forced three turnovers, and Tua Tagovailoa never got into any rhythm at all.
His counterpart in Speed Blue played even better than head coach Shane Steichen expected. Okay, Steichen expected a lot, but Jones certainly played better than most fans anticipated. Giants fans had to look at the highlights and wonder where this guy came from.
And frankly, I did too. I believed that Jones hit a few deep throws, but that most of his passes were dinks and dunks that his receivers turned into big plays. So, let's investigate.
Colts' Daniel Jones faces a tough challenge to repeat his Week 1 mastery
As it turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, I watched the entire game, but we tend to see what we want to see. We remember what we're predisposed to believe. That's confirmation bias, and unfortunately, it plays a far more serious role than in watching a football game.
As for Danny Dimes, yes, he did hit some targets that barely crossed the line of scrimmage - the same as any quarterback will do. But his average target was 6.8 yards deep. Now that may not sound like much, but in that wild shootout between the Steelers and the Jets, Aaron Rodgers averaged just 4.6 yards per attempt.
You know, that old dude who threw four touchdowns. 6.8 yards is on the low side, but last season, QBs as successful as Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, and yes, Tua Tagovailoa, were all well under that figure.
So that personal myth was busted. If you were wondering, Anthony Richardson averaged 12.2 yards per attempt last season, and where did that get the Colts? I still have my doubts about Jones, though. Namely, how much of his performance was due to his own play, and how much rests on the shoulders of a putrid Dolphins defense?
I'm not the only one who thought Miami forgot that AR5 wasn't in the game. The Dolphins gave the Colts so much cushion, you'd think they were expecting 50-yard bombs every other play.
The Broncos' defense isn't going to make that same mistake in Week 2. They ranked third in the league in points allowed last season. They showed no signs of letting up last week, either, surrendering just 133 total yards to the Titans. Mr. Jones will face a real test when Denver comes calling.