The Dopey Report Card
RUN OFFENSE
This is Jonathan Taylor at his very best. All he did was carry the ball 25 times for 165 yards along with two catches for 50 yards and one touchdown. Taylor churned all day, wearing down the fine Denver defens before breaking out for a 68-yard run in the fourth quarter. It was Taylor's fifth game with more than 200 yards of total offense and at least one touchdown, tying Edgerrin James for the most in franchise history. He also passed Eric Dickerson for the second-most 100-yard games (24) in Colts history. It was an enormously effective day for the offense, the Colts becoming the first team in NFL history to score on each of their first 10 possessions of a season. Kudos to the revamped offensive line, which has been doing great work through two weeks.
Grade: A
RUN DEFENSE
Lou Anarumo's defense looked unbeatable against Miami, giving up just eight late points in a blowout. Not so much Sunday at Lucas Oil. The Broncos rushed 24 times for 118 yards, a 4.9 yards-per-carry average. That said, it should be noted that safety Nick Cross was everywhere all at once, finishing with seven tackles and one pass defensed. Grover Stewart plugged the middle with seven tackles (four solo) and one tackle for loss.
Grade: B-
PASS OFFENSE
Who is this Daniel Jones character? Right now, the offense is buzzing unlike anything we've seen since the Andrew Luck days. Get this: The Colts have not punted in the first two games of the season, marking the first time that's been accomplished in the Super Bowl era. Again, the offensive line did a masterful job, limiting the sack-happy Broncos to one sack (they had six last week against Tennessee) and five quarterback hurries. The receiving corps has been more sure-handed than we've seen in recent years. Josh Downs had six receptions, Tyler Warren, Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman all had four receptions.
Grade: A
PASS DEFENSE
Poor Xavien Howard, the cornerback the Colts signed earlier this season. On one Broncos' touchdown drive, he committed three penalties. That was three of 11 penalties on the Colts, a strange number for a team that committed the league's fewest penalties last season. On the other side, cornerback Mekhi Blackmon held his own, finishing with five tackles. But here's the shocking statistic, one that suggests they really miss Laiatu Latu: The Colts didn't register a single sack or quarterback hit all game. That's not a winning number; just don't tell the Colts. Bo Nix was 22-of-30 for 206 yards and three first-half touchdowns,
Grade: B-
SPECIAL TEAMS
Welp, I have nothing to say about punting. Two games, zero punts. Spencer Shrader went 5-for-5 and had two extra points for a career-high 17 points. His 45-yarder at the buzzer won the game for the Colts. His initial 60-yard attempt wouldn't have reached the endzone if the window was open and a gale-force wind was blowing in, but his 45-yarder (after the Denver penalty) was true. He hasn't missed through two games.
Grade: B+
COACHING
I thought Shane Steichen called a tremendous game and he was aggressive when he had to be. At least until the end. He almost lost this game for the Colts with his meek approach once the Colts had reached the Denver 43-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. Three Taylor runs up the middle went for two yards, one yard and a loss of two, setting Shrader, whose career-long was 48 yards, to attempt a 60-yard field goal. According to Google, NFL kickers make 60 yarder 37 percent of the time, a far higher number than I would have expected. It was an odd strategy, but the penalty on Denver bailed Steichen out.
Grade: B-
INTANGIBLES
Could we all (well, most of us) have been terribly wrong about this team? The offense was expected to struggle; instead, it's been a symphony of execution, as evidenced by the 10 straight possessions with a score to start the season. Jones has been a revelation, giving early signs he could be the second coming of Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield. There is a toughness about this team that was lacking last year. We'll get an idea about their maturity next week when they take on AFC bottom feeder Tennessee. Can they sustain all of this against one of the league's more wretched teams? Stay tuned.
Grade: A
Bob Kravitz is an award-winning columnist who has been in the sports journalism business for 43 years. He's worked at Sports Illustrated, the Indianapolis Star, The Athletic and other publications, and is now an Indiana-based publisher at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him on X @bkravitz.