Maybe Week for the Miami Dolphins was simply the result of the high level of energy at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. The Colts were honoring their late owner, Jim Irsay, who passed away unexpectedly over the summer.
Whatever the reasons were for the Dolphins’ disastrous showing, Daniel Jones wasn’t just making history - he gave the rest of the NFL a blueprint to beat Miami.
Jones was so good on Sunday that the Colts scored on every possession, marking the first time an NFL team accomplished that since 1977.
Daniel Jones shredding the Dolphins is as embarrassing as it gets
Dolphins fans are reeling Monday morning after another ugly offensive showing, but the defense was supposed to be just as good. All offseason, Miami promised that the front seven would generate enough pressure to help cover for a weaker secondary. That never happened. Daniel Jones and the Colts figured out how to beat the pass rush with ease.
Early in the game, Jones took what the Dolphins gave him. He didn't throw downfield, but instead beat the defense with quick throws in the flats to his tight end, who was given too much room. He continued to move the ball with high-percentage completions. This forced the Dolphins to drop their linebackers back into coverage, and that's when Indy attacked with Jonathan Taylor.
While Miami was pressing off the edge, Daniels was standing in the pocket and delivering the ball to his outlet receivers first instead of pushing downfield. As Miami attempted to adjust, Daniels was able to find more time by moving around and then delivering the ball to his boundary receivers.
This worked because once the Colts figured out Miami’s pass rush, all they needed was to give Jones a little time, just enough for their receivers to expose the Dolphins’ cornerbacks
For all the speed of Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, and Jaelan Phillips, Miami's edge rushers couldn't get to Jones any more than the Dolphins' interior defenders. The Dolphins had one sack the entire day, which was from Chubb.
The Dolphins have reversed their line of thinking this year. Instead of going for coverage sacks, they are hoping to blitz more, disguise the coverages, and create stunts to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible, thus eliminating the need for prolonged coverage.
Indianapolis exploited this line of thinking the entire game, and Anthony Weaver didn't have an answer.
The next game will be critical for both the Patriots and the Dolphins. If the Patriots use the same game plan to keep the front seven back, Drake Maye will have more time to let his receivers create space. The pressure this week will be on Miami's secondary to get better quickly.