When Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones put together one of the most efficient games in NFL history against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, Colts fans were cautiously optimistic. Yeah, it was a great performance, but the Dolphins are one of the worst teams in the league. Let's wait until we see him against a great defense, right?
Well, a lot of things can be said about the Colts' Week 2 opponent, the Denver Broncos, but no one can say that they don't have the talent of a top-five defense in the league. They feature a fearsome pass rush led by Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto, and a lockdown secondary anchored by reigning defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain and recent first-round pick Jahdae Barron.
The Broncos garnered a lot of hype coming into the season, with many predicting them to go far into the playoffs. Luckily for the Indianapolis Colts, Daniel Jones seemed unshaken by any of that in their Week 2 outing against Denver. The quarterback proved to a lot of doubters that his stellar Week 1 play was no fluke.
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Daniel Jones finished up the victory with a stat line of 316 yards on 23/34 passing attempts, throwing one touchdown and no interceptions. In fact, it was Jones' first 300-yard passing game since 2023, back when he was a New York Giant. Even more, Jones totaled the highest passing yard total through one half in his career in the first half of the game.
Let's not ignore the elephant (or in this case, workhorse) in the room. Yes, Jonathan Taylor was nothing short of sensational on Sunday. The star back totaled 165 yards on the ground and 50 more through the air, scoring a touchdown to boot. Jones likely doesn't have the day he does in Week 2 without Taylor forcing Denver to load the box against him.
But this is where the beauty of a two-headed attack on offense comes in. Yes, Taylor helped Jones by forcing the defense to adjust to him, but one of Jones' greatest skills is taking what the defense gives him. Eventually, Denver was forced to change tack again to stop Jones from killing them with death by a thousand cuts.
That's not to say Jones was nothing but a checkdown quarterback in Week 2. Tyler Warren, Alec Pierce, and Jonathan Taylor all had receptions of over 40 yards. And, make no mistake, every one of those yards was needed in this game with its razor-thin margin of victory.
Though Lou Anarumo's defense was lacking, if head coach Shane Steichen can keep the offense humming like it has been through two games, Colts fans can be sure of one thing, and that is that this season will be a fun ride.