QB Daniel Jones’ fast start in Indianapolis has people wondering if he can keep playing this way
QB Daniel Jones’ fast start in Indianapolis has people wondering if he can keep playing this way
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Daniel Jones looks like a different quarterback in Indianapolis.
He’s been accurate, efficient and is unbeaten through three games. His teammates and coaches rave about his work ethic, and Jones seems unfazed by his seemingly sudden success.
Yes, Jones appears to be blossoming into the franchise player the New York Giants expected after drafting him No. 6 overall in 2019 and again when they signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2023. But it took three NFL stops in less than 12 months for Jones to find the right fit.
“Every single time I call him I’m like ‘Hey bro’ — because we do dinner on Thursdays,” receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “And every single time, he’s like ‘Yeah, I’m on the way. I just had to break down these last couple looks.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, take a break.’ But that’s just who he is, and I think his hard work is showing up on Sundays.”
Something certainly has changed for the 28-year-old former Duke star.
Last fall, his career was at a crossroads. He was throwing nearly as many interceptions as TD passes, was being sacked nearly three times per game and had won just three of his previous 16 starts before getting benched by the Giants and asking for his release.
Jones wound up with Minnesota but never took a snap for the playoff-bound Vikings. Then in March, the first-time free agent took a one-year, $14 million deal from Indy in part because he knew he had a legitimate chance to beat out Anthony Richardson for the starting job and revive his career.
Three games into the season, it looks as if Jones made the right move.
His completion rate, 71.6%, is easily on pace to be a career high, his 816 yards passing rank third in the NFL, and he’s the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw and run for three scores without committing a turnover in the first three games of a season. He’s played so well, the “Indiana Jones” nickname has been tossed around, too.
Sure, Jones has been around long enough to know he and the Colts (3-0) are far from perfect. But around the Colts headquarters almost nobody is surprised.
“You can usually find him in the building. If he’s not in the building, you can get a hold of him pretty quick,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “All week, we’re practicing plays. We’re walking through plays, we’re watching the tape. There’s a lot of opportunities to take a play and make it a little bit better or refine it, or change a detail here or there, and Daniel has a great perspective on that.”
Jones believes the time he spent working with quarterback Sam Darnold and coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota last season helped him fine-tune that component of his game.
And while Jones has been making good reads, quick decisions, on-time throws and spreading the ball around, his supporting cast is doing its part, too.
Five receivers have at least eight receptions with Pittman catching a team-high 16 after recovering from a back injury that plagued him most of last season. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren had emerged as another key target for Jones and Jonathan Taylor leads the league in rushing with 338 yards. The combination means Jones doesn’t have to do so much heavy lifting.
Jones’ solid play combined with an Indy defense that has forced five turnovers has Indy leading the league with a plus-five turnover differential and the rebuilt offensive line has allowed a league-low two sacks.
It’s a combination that has Indy off to its best start since going 14-0 in 2009 and atop the AFC South for the second straight week.
Their next test comes Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams (2-1), and the only real question is whether Jones can continue to play the best ball of his career for another 14 games?
But Jones refuses to look that far ahead or even at his impressive early season stats. Instead, he’s focused on the one number that truly matters to him.
“It’s the wins,” he said. “We’ve won three games, I think that’s the goal always that at all positions and quarterback especially, so just that we’ve won.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
