The Indianapolis Colts are 3-0, sitting atop the AFC South, and somehow leading the NFL in scoring. But the strangest part isn’t the start. It’s the quarterback behind it.
Daniel Jones, the former Giants castoff and short-lived Viking, has the Colts’ offense humming at a pace never seen in Indianapolis. Not under Andrew Luck. Not even under Peyton Manning.
Through three weeks, the Colts have scored 103 points, more than any Manning-led team ever produced over the same stretch. They’ve punted once, the fewest through three games in the Super Bowl era.
For context, only two teams have started 3-0 while punting fewer than five times: these Colts and the 2007 Patriots.
That stat alone raises eyebrows. But the real shock comes from the quarterback running the show. Jones hasn’t just been efficient, he’s been historically clean.
With three passing touchdowns, three rushing scores, and zero turnovers, he’s the first player in the Super Bowl era to hit those marks in a season’s opening three games.
A Perfect Fit for Shane Steichen
GettyColts QB Daniel Jones
Jones hasn’t been asked to do it all, and that’s the beauty of it.
Shane Steichen’s scheme leans into Jonathan Taylor, who leads the NFL with 431 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns, including a 46 yard burst against Tennessee.
But when Jones is called on, he delivers. He’s completing 72% of his passes this year, thriving on intermediate and deep throws. After completing just 50% of passes 10+ yards downfield across his first six seasons, he’s now hitting 65% of them.
Against Tennessee, he went 7 for 9 on such attempts for 130 yards and a touchdown. It’s the kind of growth the Giants never saw from him, and the kind of precision that makes Steichen’s offense click.
The MVP Question
GettyColts QB Daniel Jones
Colts fans are already daring to whisper it: MVP. And the numbers make the case tempting.
Jones ranked top 10 across efficiency metrics through two weeks and just posted another 113.4 passer rating in Week 3. He’s protecting the football, extending drives with his legs, and leading an offense that scores on 77% of its possessions, the highest mark across any three-game stretch in the last 45 years.
Still, reality checks remain. The Colts’ opponents so far are a combined 1-8. The schedule stiffens soon, with the Rams in Los Angeles and a looming matchup against the Chargers. And Jones, for all his early brilliance, has struggled to stay both healthy and consistent throughout his career.
Even last year, when Sam Darnold revived his career in Minnesota, voters ranked him 10th in MVP balloting with just three fifth place votes. If Darnold couldn’t win hearts, can Jones?
So how good is Daniel Jones actually?
The truth is probably somewhere between the hype and the skepticism. Jones is thriving in the best situation of his career, and for once, his numbers match his flashes.
He’s good enough to change the trajectory of a franchise that hasn’t won the AFC South since 2014. Good enough to make fans believe again. MVP talk may be premature, but for the first time in his career, Jones is a problem for defenses.
How Good Is Daniel Jones Actually?