INDIANAPOLIS -- Daniel Jones surveyed the defense across the line of scrimmage, called for the snap then burrowed into the mass of humanity in front of him, eventually reaching the goal line.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback found a sliver of space behind right tackle Braden Smith and successfully converted the quarterback sneak, turning an already lopsided game against the Miami Dolphins into a blowout.
As the scoreboard flipped to 29-0, the home crowd roared, sound effects blared from the stadium's speakers, and left guard Quenton Nelson congratulated Jones with a massive bear hug.
ones, meanwhile, responded with little more than a half-smile and a couple of high fives. Later, reporters asked Jones about his first game as a Colt, one of the most impressive quarterback debuts in franchise history. Jones responded with all the enthusiasm of a rock.
"It felt good to get a win, for sure," Jones said.
Released by the New York Giants midseason in 2024, even after they'd once signed him to a $160 million contract extension, Jones' career was at a crossroads entering 2025. If he blows this chance with the Colts, with whom he signed in March, he might never be viewed as a starting quarterback again. That Jones took full advantage of this second chance, with a 272-yard passing day, a touchdown pass and two rushing touchdowns, was huge.
You'd just never know it from talking to Jones.
The 28-year-old former sixth-overall pick has learned about the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately reality of the NFL. He once threw 24 touchdown passes as a rookie, went on to sign the big contract with New York and even helped lead the Giants to the playoffs after a six-year drought. But none of that mattered when they decided to bench him for backup Tommy DeVito last season.
All of it has taught Jones to keep things in perspective.
"I think I've learned over the years, it's a long season, [a] 17-game season, and you've got to play at a high level for the whole time," Jones said. "So, good start. I think we feel good about the start, for sure. Some things to clean up and work on, but I think everyone on our team is mature enough, knows enough that we've got to continue to grow and improve. The best teams in the league continue to build on success and improve."
Colts coach Shane Steichen was a little less restrained. He said his confidence in Jones' ability led to the Colts formulating a gameplan that called for them to lean on Jones and the passing game throughout the day. The Colts took possession to open the game, and Jones dropped back to throw on the first five plays from scrimmage.
Indianapolis went on to score on all of its possessions in the 33-8 win, the first team since 1978 to do so, according to ESPN Research. Jones became the first Colts quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and account for three touchdowns in his Indianapolis debut.
"I thought there were some opportunities to throw it early and often, and that's kind of what we did," Steichen said. "And I thought [Jones] was great. He was throwing it well, so we kept throwing it."
The performance emboldened Steichen after his debated decision to name Jones the starter over Anthony Richardson Sr., the Colts' 2023 No. 4 overall draft pick who had entered the past two seasons as the starter.
Steichen said he made the decision because of Jones' ability to orchestrate the offense before the snap, with his reliable judgement in areas such as changing pass protections at the last moment or checking to a more optimum play based on the opponent's coverage. One such play came on a fourth-and-2 play in the second quarter when Jones recognized a "zero" blitz and checked to a quick throw to Josh Downs, which resulted in a first down.
The combination of Jones and Steichen will be one to watch in the coming weeks. Steichen has had success before when it comes to maximizing quarterbacks, as he did in 2023 with Gardner Minshew. After two seasons on the bench in Philadelphia, Minshew replaced the injured Richardson for 13 games that season and had one of his best seasons as a starter.
Now, Steichen is trying to tee Jones up for a strong season. Jones, per usual, is more than happy to give the credit.
"I thought game-plan wise, just knowing the [Dolphins], knowing what they wanted to do defensively, some of their coverages, I thought it was just a strong game plan," he said. "From that standpoint, we were set up for success in a lot of ways. So, I think credit to the coaches and how much work they put into the game plan."
Jones also benefited from impressive pass protection, something that often was lacking in New York. He was sacked once and pressured on just six dropbacks. His career average on pressured dropbacks is 12.7.
Whoever is responsible, the prospect of a redemption story for Jones seems more likely after Week 1. Jones was even more aggressive, an area where he'd been underwhelming in the past. He had four completions over 20 yards or longer. That resulted in a yards-per-attempt average of 9.4 -- well above his career average of 6.5.
Even so, Jones -- true to form -- immediately looked ahead as soon as the game concluded. His and the Colts' good start was just that, he said. A start. And now they'll host the Denver Broncos, who may have the best defense in the league.
"Now," he said, "the challenge is to grow with it, build and continue to develop as a team, as an offense."