By Yardbarker,Zac Wassink
Copyright yardbarker
Largely out of nowhere, Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones became one of the more positive surprises of the opening two weeks of the season as he guided his club to back-to-back victories.
Following Indianapolis’ thrilling 29-28 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Jones spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about working to resurrect his career while playing under Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen.
Daniel Jones gives credit for hot start with Colts
“A lot of credit goes to the coaching staff and how they utilize their skill set,” Jones said about his hot start to the season. “It’s preparing us and knowing what to expect, knowing when we are in a bad situation and how to get out of that. The credit goes to, one, the guys we have, and then our staff.”
After Jones tallied a pair of rushing touchdowns and a passing score in Indianapolis’ 33-8 Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Steichen mentioned that the 28-year-old impressed his teammates and coaches with his work ethic and his football IQ as he defeated Anthony Richardson Sr. to win the competition for the Colts’ starting job.
In Sunday’s win over the Broncos, Jones connected on 23-of-34 pass attempts for 316 yards and a touchdown. He also contributed a rushing score before he and the Colts were helped out by a controversial “leverage” penalty that gifted Indianapolis’ Spencer Shrader a second opportunity to kick what became a game-winning field goal.
Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith noted that the Colts became the first team in NFL history to go without punting in its first two games of a season. According to ESPN stats, Jones ranks sixth in the NFL among qualified players with an 80.9 adjusted QBR and sixth with a 111.1 passer rating for the campaign.
What Daniel Jones appreciates about Shane Steichen
“Just to speak to his philosophy, it’s to be aggressive,” Jones said about Steichen. “It’s forcing the issue — giving us chances to make plays when we get the looks. A lot goes into the game plan, what to expect, and the preparation is at an extremely high level. He spends a lot of time with me.”
As of Monday afternoon, ESPN Bet had the unbeaten Colts as 3.5-point road favorites for this coming Sunday’s matchup at the 0-2 Tennessee Titans. At that same time, DraftKings Sportsbook had Jones fourth among the betting favorites at +700 odds to claim the Comeback Player of the Year Award for this season.
