Jacoby Brissett had his 'This is my team now' game in Week 3.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback, taking the reins after Andrew Luck's stunning retirement, diced up the Atlanta Falcons to the tune of 310 yards on 28-of-37 passing with two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 118.1 passer rating.
"Jacoby was unreal," Colts coach Frank Reich said after the 27-24 win, via The Athletic. "You can't play quarterback much better than he did today."
Brissett opened the tilt with 16 consecutive completions, tying Peyton Manning for second-most consecutive completions in a game by a Colts QB since 1991 (as far back as NFL Research data goes). Brissett also accomplished something Luck never did, becoming just the third QB in Colts franchise history with a 115-plus passer rating in two of the first three weeks of a season -- Peyton Manning (2009, 2004) and Johnny Unitas (1964).
In Brissett's first two games, the Colts leaned heavily on the running game, with the QB throwing for fewer than 200 yards in each tilt. Those game plans might have led some to believe the coaching staff was protecting the QB from carrying the load. Brissett put those hot takes to rest of Sunday's tilt.
With the Falcons keying on stopping the run, Brissett peppered the Atlanta secondary, including a gorgeous fake to get Zach Pascal wide open for a touchdown. Brissett showed accuracy to all levels of the field and rapport with the pass-catching corps, hitting nine different targets.
"That's exactly how he's been since the minute 12 retired," receiver Chester Rogers said. "He's had this 'I'm the captain now' attitude, just this look that told us all, 'I'm ready. Let's roll.'"
"He was never scared," added running back Nyheim Hines.
The Colts ran the four-minute drill to perfection after another late Atlanta score. Indy churned out three first downs forcing the Falcons to burn all three timeouts. Then on a third-and-4 from the 27-yard-line, with 1:56 remaining, Reich didn't take the conservative approach, instead putting the ball in Brissett's hands. The QB found tight end Jack Doyle for an 11-yard gain to ice the game.
"I mean, we just had a lot of confidence from Day 1," Reich said. "Everything about him says that he has (confidence) ... he's doing it. This is as great as he's played today."
The Colts might not be as dynamic an offense without Luck, but Brissett proved he's fully capable of stacking wins in Reich's offense.
