Another week, another Colts blowout: This is no longer an anomaly. This is who they are

The Raiders never had a chance. Crosby was silenced. Taylor had three touchdowns. Jones was efficient. The defense dominated. What more can you ask?

This is what good teams do to bad ones, the way good teams beat bad teams. Save for a game-opening field goal by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Colts were in complete control from (nearly) the beginning to the end. Don’t look now, but the Colts, 40-6 winners over the Raiders Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, are 4-1 with a very strong chance of moving to 5-1 with the decidedly average Arizona Cardinals visiting Indy next Sunday.

This is the way you do it, the way they did it Sunday, out-classing the Raiders in every conceivable way. Yes, just the way they did Miami and Tennessee in two earlier blowouts. They stepped on their necks early and never relented, not offensively, not defensively, not even on special teams, where they blocked a punt and set up a short touchdown drive in the first half. To put it in some perspective, the Colts led 40-3 with 2:27 left in the third quarter and scored touchdowns on six consecutive drives.

You know what it reminded me of? The salad days of Peyton and Reggie and Marvin and Dallas, back when so many games were over by late in the third quarter. They’re putting up Star Wars numbers, as late owner Jim Irsay would have said.

Where do you start with the superlatives?

• You start with Ashton Dulin -- yes, special teams demon Ashton Dulin -- who replaced AD Mitchell in the lineup and made a strong impact with two catches for 55 years while drawing an additional pass interference. I firmly believe Shane Steichen would have made Mitchell an inactive this week, but with the injury to Alec Pierce, it became a numbers game. Who else was he going to dress?

Mitchell didn’t play until fourth-quarter garbage time, where on his first possession, he ran an out while Anthony Richardson threw a go ball. Who’s mistake? My money’s on Mitchell. After the play, Mitchell turned to receivers coach Reggie Wayne, who promptly waved him off.

Anyway, message sent.

Message received?

Time will tell...

Honestly, this looks like a Wally Pipp situation (if you don’t get that reference, look it up. Hey, I’m not here to do your homework). After the way Dulin played, showing he can play receiver as well as star on special teams, how is Mitchell going to see the field ever again?

“He’s just as gritty as they come, as tough as they come and he does anything that’s asked and he understands his role,” Steichen said of Dulin. “...Just a tremendous worker, is what he is.”

• You start with Dulin and you move to the Colts’ offensive line, which was buoyed by the return of right guard Matt Goncalves. The Raiders came into this game having registered a sack in a league-high 39 consecutive games. They had none Sunday. How many times did you notice Maxx Crosby, the Raiders’ erstwhile game wrecker? He made his plays -- he’s always going to make some -- but by and large, he had little impact on a Colts offense that had its way all day.

“He (Crosby) was mostly lined up across from (right tackle) Braden (Smith), so shoutout to him,” said left tackle Bernhard Raimann said. “He was tremendous. Hell of a game.”

Said Smith: “Usually, how we’ve started in my first seven years here, we’ve been playing from behind most of the season, starting slow. So I just think there’s a hunger to win, like, we’re tired of just being mediocre and everyone’s putting in the work...It’s a lack of ego, is the biggest thing. Everyone’s just fully bought in.”

The Colts converted on 8-of-10 third downs, a testament to the work of the offensive line. Daniel Jones had all the time he needed, finishing 20-of-29 for 212 yards, two touchdowns and a 113.0 ratings -- all in three quarters before he was subbed out for Anthony Richardson.

“Our thing going into this game, which I’m sure (is true of) every opponent that plays the Raiders, is stop 98 (Crosby),” Shane Steichen said. “He’s one of the best in the game, so we’re trying to get four hands on him as much as possible. He can be a huge problem, so it’s a credit to our guys going out and executing the game plan.”

• Jones continued to be the player nobody quite expected him to be, maybe save for Steichen. Five games in, three of them blowouts, there are no questions about Jones any longer. Paired with Steichen and long-time ally, passing coordinator Alex Tanney, Jones has forged a second act that compares favorably with Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and, this game excepted, Geno Smith. He has been Steichen’s dream quarterback. High completion percentage. Cool under pressure -- although there wasn’t a lot of it Sunday. Smart decisions.

• After a spotty performance in LA against the Rams, the Colts rebounded with another in a growing line of dominant defensive showings. Did it help that the Raiders were missing their best offensive lineman, Kolton Miller, and tight end extraordinaire Brock Bowers? Surely. But their absence doesn’t explain putting up just six points.

Colts corner Mekhi Blackmon should have had a pick-6, but in his haste and excitement, he stepped out of bounds short of the goal line, setting up the Colts on the 7-yard line. No worries. The Colts scored on the possession.

• Jonathan Taylor continued to be the best running back in the league.

“He’s the best back in the league,” Steichen said forcefully.

See, what did I tell you?

Taylor didn’t have massive numbers (66 yards on 17 carries), but scored three touchdowns. All day long, the Colts did what they wanted, running, passing, even blocking punts, courtesy of special teamer/linebacker Segun Olubi.

This is no longer an anomaly, the way these Colts are playing. In five games, they’ve managed three blowouts, and while you can argue they should have lost to Denver, you can also argue they should have beaten Los Angeles. It all comes out in the wash at 4-1, and they are real-life AFC South title contenders.

This could get very interesting, not to mention fun.