Before getting into what the Colts' offense did in Week 2, let's set up the defense they had to face.
The Denver Broncos arrived in downtown Indianapolis on Sunday with one of the best defenses in the NFL, and that's not convenient hyperbole. By the numbers, the Broncos – since the start of the 2024 season – ranked:
- 2nd in points per game allowed (17.6)
- 1st in yards per play allowed (4.7)
- 2nd in yards per game allowed (306.9)
- 1st in scoring drive percentage (30.7 percent)
- 3rd in passing yards per play allowed (6.7)
- 1st in sacks (81)
- 2nd in rushing yards per play allowed (3.8)
On Sunday, the Colts did this to that vaunted Broncos defense:
- 29 points
- 7.1 yards per play
- 473 total yards
- 70 percent scoring drive rate (7/10)
- 9.3 yards per pass
- 1 sack
- 5.2 yards per rush
If you consumed much national coverage of the Colts last week, a common narrative was this: Okay, sure, the Colts put up 33 points against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, but let's see them do it again versus a real defense.
What'd we see on Sunday?
The Colts did it again.
"We knew we could compete with them," tight end Mo Alie-Cox said. "We don't fear anybody. Especially the way we played during camp, preseason, first game — we knew as an offense we have a lot of weapons here and a lot of stuff going for us.
"They came in here, everyone's talking about how good they are, but we were talking about how good we are and what we can do. Just put it on tape – and that's what we went out there and did."
Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 23 of 34 passes (67.6 percent) for 316 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing score on Sunday. He consistently hung in the pocket and made tough-as-nails throws against a Broncos defense full of pass rushing goblins; he also pushed the ball downfield with five passes that traveled 20 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He completed one of them, which was all the Colts' offense needed – a 44-yarder Alec Pierce caught through a defensive pass interference flag.
It was another masterclass from Jones and head coach/playcaller Shane Steichen, who in consecutive weeks have shredded defenses that ranked in the top 10 in yards per play allowed last season (the Dolphins were 9th in 2024).
"I feel confident, and there's a great energy about our team, I think – about our offense, about our group," Jones said. "I think we're executing at a high level. I think there's still things we need to do better. I think you look at some of the red zone stuff today, and things we can sharpen up down there, things I can sharpen up for sure. But collectively as a group, we're confident about what we can be, and we know that we're still growing and developing."
Jones is right – four of the Colts' six trips inside the Denver red zone ended with a field goal – but the foundation of this offense is coming together nicely. The Colts' vision for spreading the ball around is coming to life, with four players (Pierce, Tyler Warren, Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor) totaling over 50 receiving yards; Michael Pittman Jr. added 40 yards and Adonai Mitchell had 20. Taylor ripped off a 68-yard run when he coolly eluded defensive tackle D.J. Jones in the backfield and accelerated from the Colts' 20-yard line to the Broncos' 12-yard line.
Through two games (and without a complete Week 2 slate yet), Taylor leads the NFL with 236 rushing yards; Jones is second with 588 passing yards and sixth with a 111.1 passer rating.
And while the Colts were in control of Week 1 from the first to final whistle, Week 2 followed a different script. There was little margin for error as Denver's offense moved the ball up and down the field against a defense missing cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. (concussion) and defensive end Laiatu Latu (hamstring); the Colts played from behind from the 8:30 mark of the first quarter until, quite literally, the clock was at zero as Spencer Shrader lined up for his game-winning 45-yard field goal following a "yes, that really happened" 15-yard leverage penalty assessed to Denver's Dondrea Tillman.
"He showed us the guy that's shown us since Day 1," Pittman said. "He's a winner."
If you're a New York Giants fan who stumbled across this article, you might say, hey wait – Jones was 25-44-1 as a starting quarterback with his old team. But through two games, it's becoming increasingly clear that version of Jones is not the guy the Colts are getting behind center. They're getting the quarterback Jones has always believed he could be, and the quarterback he's shown himself to be to coaches and teammates since arriving in Indianapolis this spring.
"Ultimate competitor, great leader, tough as nails," Alie-Cox said. "He took a couple shots today. He has the utmost respect that everyone in the offense, and he has our trust to lead us and get us in the right calls and right plays when the moment presents itself."
The Colts are certainly not crowning their offense after two games, impressive as they may have been. As Jones said, there's stuff that needs to improve. But what the Colts did to a tremendous Broncos defense – and make no mistake, this is and will be one of the best defenses in the NFL this season – will be increasingly impossible to ignore on a local and national scale.
Internally, though, these results are exactly what the Colts expected. But with that comes an admission that two games does not make for a great offense. The Tennessee Titans will administer the next test. And there's no time to rest, even if the only guy on the Colts who's got to rest over these first two weeks has been punter Rigoberto Sanchez.
"It shows the playmakers that we have and being able to utilize every single person on the offense," Taylor said. "So when you have an offense like that, I think it could be really special, because now it's – you got to pick your poison."
