Going 30/37 and throwing for 353 yards and two touchdowns is very impressive. Doing so in your first start in over three years makes it all the more remarkable. Put in a very difficult situation, eight year veteran Dan Orlovsky aced his first test and left a lot of Colts fans wondering how-in-the-world did he sit behind Curtis Painter for eight weeks.
Besides providing incredibly juicy fodder for conspiracy theorists and Bill Polian haters, Orlovsky went a long way in solidifying next year's backup position.
Before we get enraptured with Orlovsky and anoint him the savior who can keep us from 0-16 futility, let's step back a minute.
As good as Orlovsky looked, the Colts were facing the worst pass defense in the league. Furthermore roughly two-thirds of his yards came after Indy had fallen behind 31-3 and the game was out-of-hand (although I was definitely animated before the second on-side kick). As well as Orlovsky was throwing the ball, that the Pats effort had waned and receivers - particularly underneath - were given more separation. Next week against Baltimore will be a true test. Don't expect nearly the same numbers or TD-to-INT ratio.
That being said, all-in-all it was a very strong performance. If Orlovsky plays as well as he did today, he should definitely be able to help the Colts win one if not two of their remaining games. The only question will be whether the coaches let him.
At least it looks like we'll have a decent quarterback the remainder of the season.