After a few years wandering as a mediocre team in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts have surged to the front of the pack in 2025.

Through eight weeks, they own the league’s best record at 7-1 and one of the NFL’s top-scoring offenses, an identity powered by a resurgent Jonathan Taylor, a revitalized Daniel Jones, and a head coach, Shane Steichen, who’s making all the right moves as the leader on the sideline.

Jonathan Taylor: the engine, rebuilt and redlined

The Colts’ revival starts with Taylor rediscovering and arguably surpassing his 2021 form.

At midseason, he leads the league in rushing yards and touchdowns, stacking explosive plays behind an offensive line that’s winning on first down and letting the Colts dictate tempo. He’s racked up 850 rushing yards on 143 carries (5.9 per rush) with 12 rushing touchdowns through Week 8.

Taylor’s impact goes beyond box scores. He’s the fulcrum that turns Steichen’s menu of downhill runs, counters, and RPOs into favorable second-and-short situations, where Indianapolis can stay aggressive and open the playbook. That balance has lifted the Colts to No. 1 in points per game so far (33.8), a notable jump that tracks with Taylor’s weekly dominance and frequent trips to the red zone.

What’s different this year? Health, yes, but also fit.

The Colts have paired Taylor’s one-cut explosiveness with a quarterback who consistently threatens the edges with quick decision-making. It’s telling that when the Colts routed the Titans to reach a league-best record of 7-1,

Daniel Jones: the comeback nobody saw coming

No subplot in the NFL has turned more heads than Daniel Jones in horseshoe blue. He signed a one-year deal in March. Jones then shockingly beat out Anthony Richardson in camp and promptly authored a September that reset expectations in Indianapolis.

By the end of Week 8, he’d passed for 2,062 yards with 13 touchdowns against just three picks while completing over 70 percent of his throws, and he’s added timely rushing scores (2) to boot. Those are not just bounce-back numbers; they’re win-driving numbers.

In Week 1, he accounted for three touchdowns in a 33-8 dismantling of the Miami Dolphins. A week later, he coolly led a game-winning drive to edge the Denver Broncos, 29-28.

Those moments, combined with the offense’s down-in, down-out efficiency, seeded belief in the locker room that this was more than a feel-good reclamation project. It was the start of something real.

What’s working?

Jones has been decisive and accurate at all levels, particularly off play-action, where Taylor’s gravity buys windows. He’s protected the ball (only three interceptions through eight games) and thrived in the red zone, where the Colts’ motion and formations isolate favorable matchups for tight ends and backs.

National outlets have taken notice, dubbing Indy the league’s most potent offense by efficiency through the end of October. Even if you’re skeptical of superlatives, the per-possession and points-per-game metrics paint the same picture: This attack is real.

Shane Steichen: aggressive, unpredictable, and totally in control

Coaching is leverage, and Steichen is using all of it. His fingerprints are everywhere.

Notably, he’s one of the few NFL coaches consistently choosing to receive the opening kickoff this season, a reflection of trust in his offense and a desire to play from in front. That aggression has helped the Colts seize control of the flow.

Even at 7-1, he has emphasized a long runway and a tougher back half of the schedule, keeping the urgency high without inviting panic. The “season starts in November and December” line, delivered after the latest win, hits exactly the right note for a team that’s thriving but still building. The Colts face one of the league’s hardest remaining schedules.

A month ago, national chatter had him moving from the hot seat to Coach of the Year contention; now, with the Colts’ combined offense-defense-special teams cohesion, that buzz feels earned.

The defense has complemented the fireworks, mixing pressure and coverage well enough to close doors once the offense opens up early leads, while the special teams have delivered hidden yards. But it’s Steichen’s adaptability, from personnel grouping creativity to situational boldness, that has made Indy feel modern and dangerous in every phase.

Why this resurgence can stick

The simplest case for sustainable success is that the strengths reinforce each other. Taylor’s runs force safeties to creep, which expands Jones’s intermediate throwing lanes. Jones’s efficiency and keeper game punish overplays on Taylor, keeping the chains moving. Steichen’s assertiveness multiplies possessions and early-down edges. That feedback loop is why the Colts sit atop the scoring charts and why they’ve banked a start that gives them margin for the inevitable bumpy stretch.

A top-tier running back, an efficient quarterback, and a head coach who is comfortable making hard choices. The next two months will test depth and resolve. The most brutal schedule left among contenders will do that.

If the Colts keep stacking first-quarter points and first downs, the rest-of-season conversation will shift from “are they for real?” to playoff seeding and title-contending aspirations.

Along with high expectations moving forward, the Colts may also dominate award season, with Taylor and Jones arguably in the NFL MVP conversations and Steichen currently favored to win NFL Coach of the Year honors if he can hold off Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots, who also has his team defying expectations during the 2025 campaign.

For the first time in a long time, Indianapolis doesn’t just appear to be a team on the rise. It looks like a team that’s arrived.