Daniel Jones threw one touchdown pass and ran for two more in his Indianapolis debut to lead the host Colts to a comfortable 33-8 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Jones, who won the job over Anthony Richardson in the preseason, completed 22 of 29 passes for 272 yards, and the Colts (1-0) forced three early turnovers to score 30 unanswered points.
Indianapolis won its season opener for the first time since 2013 when it beat the Oakland Raiders at home.
The Dolphins lost their season opener for the first time under head coach Mike McDaniel and for the first time since a 21-11 loss at New England in 2020.
The Colts scored on all seven of their possessions while the Dolphins (0-1) turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions leading to 17 Indianapolis points.
Tua Tagovailoa was responsible for all three of those giveaways, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble on a strip sack by Kenny Moore II that was recovered by former Dolphins safety Xavien Howard.
The takeaway led to the first of Jones’ two 1-yard touchdowns to give Indy a 17-0 edge.
Camryn Bynum picked off Tagovailoa on Miami’s first drive on a deep pass intended for Tyreek Hill. Jones directed a 14-play, 84-yard drive capped by his 27-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman.
Laiatu Latu came up with the second interception on Miami’s fourth possession in the second quarter on a short pass intended for Malik Washington.
Tagovailoa completed 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards and finished with a 51.7 passer rating. Zach Wilson entered for Tagovailoa on Miami’s final drive and went 5 for 8 for 32 yards.
Pittman led all Colts receivers with six catches for 80 yards and rookie tight end Tyler Warren had a stellar debut with seven catches for 76 yards. Jonathan Taylor ran for 71 yards on 18 carries as Indy totaled 418 yards to Miami’s 211 and ran 70 plays on offense as opposed to Miami’s 46.
Tagovailoa’s 11-yard touchdown pass to De’Von Achane, who finished with 55 yards rushing, and a subsequent 2-point conversion pass to Julian Hill gave Miami its only points with 6:21 remaining in the fourth quarter after the Colts had built a 30-0 lead.
