The long offseason is finally over! The Colts finally open the season against the Miami Dolphins in the friendly confines of Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday at 1 PM EST. The offseason has been full of controversy and juicy news; now it’s time to put on the pads and turn talk into reality. Here’s what I am looking for in the Colts Week 1 matchup.
Fast Start Is Imperative
This was something that the Colts struggled with last season. For all the commotion of the offseason quarterback competition, if there was ever a time to bury that noise, it’s Week 1. Getting off to a fast start would not only silence some of the “AR truthers” but it would alleviate some of the pressure Daniel Jones will be under early in the season.
Establishing the run with Jonathon Taylor will allow some unique play calling and would help to keep the Miami defense on their toes. With Daniel Jones under center, this offense will go as far as Taylor will take them. He will be the focal point again this season. Make this new defense hold an early lead to open up more of the playbook.
Play To Daniel Jones’ Strength
Whether you were Team Jones or Team Richardson during the offseason, it’s now time to see if this franchise made the correct decision. They are two very different quarterbacks. They chose the quarterback they have more trust in at the moment. The strength of Jones is the ability to be a game manager, whereas Richardson was always looking for that explosive play.
It might be boring and monotonous, but this offense can be effective. The Colts added rookie Tyler Warren, and they will return the entire receiver core from last season. Don’t expect too many deep balls from Jones, but if they can make this offense similar to what Steichen had with Gardner Minshew, they can win this game.
They will lean on two things to achieve that. The first being the addition of Tyler Warren and a focus on the horizontal passing game with Josh Downs. They will also lean on an absolutely beat-up secondary of their opponent. Miami has dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout its team, but the secondary has been the bulk of them.
Lean On The Defense
We mentioned above about leaning on the defense, and this week will be the first test. I will die on this hill about them being closer than most believe. They missed the playoffs two years ago on an underthrown ball from Minshew. Last year, they struggled defensively and at times shot themselves in the foot more than most teams.
This offseason, they added to the secondary by signing Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. During the preseason, after a slew of injuries, the franchise signed veteran Xavien Howard. He has not played meaningful football in nearly 2 years. He is a disciple of Lou Anarumo, and his true role has yet to be determined, though he is slated to start this Sunday.
This Dolphins team has terrific speed receivers on the roster, led by Tyreek Hill. Newly acquired tight end Darren Waller is not expected to play as he has missed two consecutive practices. Ward will be tasked with covering Hill this week. He will need to use his size and physicality to keep Hill off his mark in the early part of this game. The amount of emphasis and money put that was injected into this team, the pressure to return on that investment will start this week.
