An offseason marred by strange and negative vibes reared its ugly head almost immediately after the Miami Dolphins kicked off their 2025 campaign. What was a prime opportunity to put quickly turned into them finding themselves on the wrong side of a historically bad feat. They faced an Indianapolis Colts franchise that has notoriously struggled in Week 1 for over a decade only to get shellacked.
Miami lost 33-8 to a Colts club that hadn't won a regular-season opener since 2013. Yeesh. The Dolphins' struggled mightily on both sides of the ball in a concerningly brutal effort. Meanwhile, quarterback Daniel Jones was outstanding in his Indianapolis debut, propelling a squad that was firing on all cylinders to snap a long overdue drought.
Dolphins' dismal Week 1 showing enables Colts to snap decade-plus Week 1 winless drought
It had been nearly 4,400 days since the Colts last started off a season with a victory (h/t Adam Schefter of ESPN). They played with heavy hearts, honoring late owner Jim Irsay into their Ring of Honor at halftime against the Dolphins, punctuated by a wire-to-wire beatdown. Conversely, Miami failed to meet Indy's intensity, passion and energy, which was felt from the jump -- and in the final score.
For context, Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa was 15 years old when the Colts defeated the Las Vegas (then Oakland) Raiders in 2013. Jones and Indy deserve a ton of credit for wearing that badge and representing Irsay proudly. Yet, that doesn't excuse how dreadful Miami was in every facet of the game.
Tagovailoa couldn't get anything going through the air versus a revamped Colts secondary. He completed 14-of-23 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The one-time Pro Bowler also took three sacks for a loss of 13 yards and coughed up a fumble. His awful day at the office culminated into a 51.7 passer rating, far below the 2024 league average (92.3).
On the other hand, Jones gashed the Phins with his arm and legs. He went 22-for-29 passing, yielding 272 yards and a score, posting an additional 26 yards and two pay dirt trips on the ground. The 2019 first-round flameout was supposed to be a get-right matchup for Miami, and instead, the outcome couldn't have been more deflating for them.
Miami lost the turnover, time of possession and red zone battles by wide margins to an offense that doesn't necessarily strike fear into opponents. If this is a sign what's to come for the Phins this season, head coach Mike McDaniel could be on the way out. His seat is getting warm following an embarrassing showing in Indy, at the very least.