Daniel Jones isn’t just pushing aside talk of last season’s success, he’s actively embracing it. The Colts quarterback knows exactly how dominant the Indianapolis offense was early last year, leading his squad to an impressive 8-2 record before a brutal fractured fibula in late November and a torn Achilles in early December ended his 2025 season. As Jones himself put it, “It wouldn’t be smart for us to completely disregard everything last year,” and honestly, that’s a shot fired at anyone who’s doubting what the Colts can do in 2026.
That 2025 Offensive Juggernaut Was Real, Bro
Remember that insane run the Colts had through the first half of 2025? It wasn’t just good, it was borderline historic. Through eight weeks, Indianapolis was dropping a league-high 33.8 points per game on opponents. Fox Sports Research even crunched the numbers, saying that kind of output for a full season would’ve ranked an astonishing 15th in NFL history. This wasn’t a fluke either. By Week 10, the Colts were leading the entire league in total yards, expected points added per play, success rate, and DVOA. They were absolutely cooking! Then, boom, Jones went down, and the whole thing collapsed hard in the final seven weeks of the season. Can they seriously replicate that kind of offensive fire in 2026? That’s the million-dollar question.
DJ’s Comeback: Health is the Name of the Game
Coming back from a torn Achilles is no joke. Seriously, it’s one of the toughest injuries in the NFL, often taking players more than a full season to get back to their peak efficiency. But when you look at Daniel Jones now, just eight months removed from that brutal injury, it’s hard to believe what you’re seeing. At Colts training camp, the guy was throwing with pinpoint precision during joint practice sessions with the Atlanta Falcons. He looked completely comfortable dropping back, navigating the pocket, and even scrambling when he needed to. That mobility is absolutely critical for a quarterback like him. Jones sounds confident too, saying last month, “I feel really good and there’s nothing I don’t feel good doing.” Obviously, the true test will hit when the regular season starts and he’s stacking full games, but man, he looks as good as anyone could possibly imagine.
The Brains Behind the Brawn
It’s not just Jones’s health, though. You gotta watch for the continued magic between him and Colts coach Shane Steichen, who calls the plays. These two were basically inseparable last season, constantly meeting late into the night and hashing things out on plane rides home from road games. They’d always land on the same play call to beat specific coverages. Star running back Jonathan Taylor even said they’re “wired the same,” which is high praise for any quarterback-coach duo. Colts backup quarterback Riley Leonard, back in November, described watching them in meetings, saying you “hear a bunch of words you’ve never heard before.” That kind of shared brain power, combined with a healthy DJ, could be the secret sauce to unlock that early 2025 dominance all over again.
So, can the Colts truly crank up that insane offensive machine again? With Jones looking surprisingly healthy and that offensive tandem locked in, it’s absolutely possible. The regular season is about to kick off, and every single snap is gonna be a massive test for this offense to silence the noise and prove they’re back.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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