INDIANAPOLIS – Areas of interest as the Indianapolis Colts open the season against the Miami Dolphins Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Broadcast: CBS4.
Spread: Colts by 1½.
History lesson, Part I
The Colts will induct Jim Irsay into their Ring of Honor at halftime. The late owner established the tradition in September 1996 when he named his father, Robert, the first honoree. Jim Irsay becomes the 20th inductee.
History lesson, Part II
Miami leads the overall series 48-29, and the rivalry is rooted in each team residing in the AFC East before the realignment in 2002. Since ’02, the Colts hold an 8-3 edge and have won four of the last five meetings. That includes 16-10 last season in Lucas Oil Stadium when Miami was without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Colts were without Jonathan Taylor. Indy scored 16 unanswered points on the final three quarters, including three Matt Gay field goals.
History lesson, Part III
We’ll bring this up until the Colts do something about it. They enter the season with the NFL’s longest active non-winning streak in season-opening games: 0-10-1. Their last week 1 win was 21-17 against the Oakland Raiders, Sept. 8, 2013.
Win on Sunday so we can quit harping on this.
It’s Jones’ team
Yes, it’s a team game. Everybody’s got to do his job. But Daniel Jones must play at a level that allows everyone else to perform. Does he have that in him? Can he “find completions,’’ as Shane Steichen mentioned? Can he be efficient, dial up the proper blocking protections, move the chains and make those six or eight plays that’s required of every quarterback if his team is going to be successful? Can he avoid mistakes? Jones suffered 72 turnovers in his 70 games with the New York Giants.
It’s imperative for Steichen to put Jones in favorable situations to maximize what he can do and steer clear of his weaknesses. Then, it’s up to Jones.
Steichen opted for Jones’ consistency over the explosive and unpredictable nature of Anthony Richardson Sr.’s game. We still contend the rest of the roster is good enough for the Colts to at least challenge for a wild-card berth. But so much hinges on Jones doing his job.
Sunday marks the first step on Jones’ path to re-inventing himself. Until that happens, he’ll be the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, that was 24-44-1 as a starter before the Giants benched him, then granted his release last November.
It’s what’s up front
Steichen stood in the offensive line room this week and issued a collective challenge. He told the Colts’ reworked o-line that it had to win against Miami’s defensive front.
The Dolphins’ defense “starts up front with their d-line,’’ Steichen said. “I talked about those guys the other day. Their edge rushers are really good players. The inside guys are strong.
“So, that will be a good matchup for our guys up front, a challenge we’re looking forward to.’’
Chop Robinson and Bradley Chubb are the ends with Zach Sieler and Benito Jones inside. Robinson was the 21st overall pick last year and debuted with 6 sacks, 14 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss. Chubb had 11 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023 but missed last season after suffering a torn ACL on Dec. 31, 2023, against Baltimore. The addition of 33-year-old Matt Judon reinforces the edge, and that mix will test left tackle Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith.
Sieler is emerging as one of the league’s better tackles. He’s had 10 sacks in each of the last two seasons, and was rewarded with a three-year, $64 million extension last month. Sieler and Jones figure to be a handful for All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson, center Tanor Bortolini and right guard Matt Goncalves.
Keep Jones as clean as possible. Give Jonathan Taylor room to be a start-to-finish force. Given the chance, Steichen will see how much damage Taylor can do.
Warren’s debut
Tyler Warren didn’t disappoint during training camp and the preseason. The No. 14 overall pick in the April draft lived up to the hype. Now, things amp up exponentially.
“We thought he was going to be pretty good,’’ general manager Chris Ballard said. “We think he’s going to be a really good pro. I don’t want to put undue expectations on him. But he’s pretty freaking good.’’
Warren represents a significant upgrade in the tight ends room, and it will be interesting to see if Steichen taps into the various roles the 6-6, 256-pounder had at Penn State. The decision to start Jones instead of Richardson could open the door for Warren to be used out of the backfield down by the goal line.
As for those expectations, Warren should at the very least exceed the total output of the Colts’ tight ends in 2024: 39 catches, 467 yards, two TDs.
And for those wondering about the club rookie records for a tight end, we give you Dwayne Allen, who had 45 receptions in 2012, and Hall of Famer John Mackey, who piled up 726 yards and seven TDs in 1963.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick likely draws the assignment of shadowing Warren. The 2018 first-round pick of Miami is a three-time first-team All-Pro who returned to the Dolphins in a July trade with Pittsburgh.
Secondary test
It’s clear first-year coordinator Lou Anarumo wasn’t impressed with the secondary he inherited. Free agency added starting outside cornerbacks starters Charvarius Ward and Xavien Howard, although rookie Justin Walley’s season-ending knee injury necessitated the Howard move. Another expensive free-agent move brought in starting safety Cam Bynum. A late trade added corner Mekhi Blackmon.
There will be no time to ease into things. Miami offers quality playmakers in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Tagovailoa led the NFL and set a franchise record by completing 72.9% of his passes – he has three of the top five club marks – and his quick decision/release makes it hard to pressure him.
Given time, Tagovailoa can do serious damage with Hill and Waddle. Both are run-after-the-catch threats. Hill has topped 1,700 yards twice and had at least 12 TDs three times. Waddle cracked the 1,000-yard level in each of his first three seasons before finishing with 744 yards last season.
Oh, and Tagovailoa can lean on running back De’Von Achane, who has 1,707 yards and averaged a crisp 5.6 yards per carry in his first two seasons.
And the winner is: Colts 24, Dolphins 20.
Full disclosure. We don’t know what to expect from Jones, which means we don’t know what to expect from the Colts. And we’re a tad concerned about Bortolini and Goncalves replacing Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. But if the Colts are going to make anything out of the season, they absolutely must snap their 11-season non-winless streak in openers and take advantage of the first half of the schedule which is conducive to a good start.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.