Dolphins Dismantled in Opening Game Against the Colts
Paint this picture for a moment: you’ve spent months waiting for football, hyping yourself up about your team, inviting friends over for Week One, and then your team gets blown out. That was the reality for Dolphins fans on Sunday. Miami entered the game as near-even favorites at -110 on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, who honored late owner Jim Irsay before kickoff. After receiving the opening kick, Daniel Jones led the Colts down the field, connecting with rookie tight end Tyler Warren three times for 43 yards. The rookie out of Penn State finished as Indy’s top target, catching seven passes for 79 yards, though the Dolphins held the Colts to a field goal for a 3-0 lead.
From there, things unraveled quickly. On Miami’s first possession, special teamer D’Wayne Eskridge limped off after a 38-yard return, and new guard James Daniels left with a pectoral injury. To cap it off, Tua Tagovailoa overthrew Tyreek Hill and was picked off by safety Cam Bynum. It was a sign of things to come. Tagovailoa turned the ball over three times, finishing 14 of 23 for just 113 yards and a late touchdown. “I wouldn’t say I’m pressing,” Tagovailoa said afterward. “It’s part of the game… you obviously don’t want to turn it over, but it just so happened that’s what happened today.” The Dolphins totaled just 43 yards in the first half, their fewest in a game since 1991.
The Colts capitalized on Miami’s mistakes. Jones capped his first scoring drive with a 27-yard touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr., and later added two rushing scores himself. The former Giants quarterback shined in his Colts debut, going 22 of 29 for 272 yards and a touchdown, while joining John Elway and Troy Aikman as one of five players to record 250+ passing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a season opener. Meanwhile, Miami’s defense struggled just as much as its offense. The Dolphins didn’t score until the fourth quarter, when De’Von Achane powered through multiple tacklers on a fourth-and-goal checkdown for a hard-fought touchdown. Achane was a rare bright spot, totaling 75 yards and the team’s lone score.
Head coach Mike McDaniel summed it up bluntly: “That formula is for failure and nothing else… guys let Week One and the bells and whistles of the season starting get to them.” The Dolphins will try to regroup in their home opener next week against the Patriots. New England is also 0-1 after falling to the Raiders. That matchup may reveal whether Sunday was just opening-week jitters or the true state of the 2025 Miami Dolphins.
