Because the begin of the Tremendous Bowl period, precisely one group has made it by the primary two video games of an NFL season with out punting as soon as.
That group’s quarterback? Daniel Jones.
Certainly, the person referred to as Danny Dimes is cashing in on his first alternative as an NFL starter since his midseason launch by the Giants final fall, main the Indianapolis Colts to a shocking 2-0 begin.
Via two video games, Jones leads the NFL in yards per go try (9.3) and ranks second in passing yards (588) and sixth in quarterback ranking (111.1).
He’s thrown two landing passes with out an interception and has already rushed for 3 touchdowns as effectively.
It’s a far cry from the 2023-24 seasons, when Jones led the Giants to a 3-13 document as a starter and totaled 10 landing passes in opposition to 13 interceptions.
“I don’t know how much time I’ve spent comparing it to times in the past or different situations I’ve been in, but I feel confident, and there’s a great energy about our team, about our offense, about our group,” Jones stated after Sunday’s 29-28 win over the Denver Broncos. “I think we’re executing at a high level.”
The Giants launched Jones, the No. 6 choose within the 2019 draft, final November, ending a six-season tenure wherein he went 24-44-1 as a starter and made just one journey to the playoffs.
His launch got here within the second season of a front-loaded four-year, $160 million contract.
Jones, 28, spent the rest of final season with the Minnesota Vikings however didn’t seem in a recreation, then signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts in the course of the offseason.
He beat out 23-year-old Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 choose within the 2023 draft, for the Colts’ beginning quarterback job — a choice by head coach Shane Steichen that drew the ire of many Indianapolis followers who have been hopeful about Richardson’s potential.
However Jones is making Steichen seem like a genius now.
The Colts are the primary group in NFL historical past to attain on every of their first 10 possessions of a season. They’ve scored on 11 possessions general, and none of their 14 have ended with a punt.
Jones delivered a three-touchdown debut in Week 1 in opposition to a Miami Dolphins group with a protection that’s not anticipated to be superb.
However he opened extra eyes on Sunday by placing up 29 factors — together with a game-winning subject purpose drive aided by a Broncos penalty — in opposition to a dominant Denver protection that ranked third in factors allowed (18.3) final 12 months.
“It does a lot for our confidence, for sure,” Jones stated of beating Denver. “I think we’ve had that, internally as a group. I think we felt throughout training camp, through last week, the beginning of the season, that we’re a good offense, can play with anybody. We’ve got to keep building on it.”
Jones confirmed flashes as a passer and runner throughout his time with the Giants, notably in the course of the 2022 season — his first beneath head coach Brian Daboll — when he led them to a street victory over the Minnesota Vikings within the first spherical of the playoffs.
However extra usually, turnovers and inconsistency plagued Jones’ tenure, as did a collection of accidents, together with two to his neck, together with an ACL tear in 2023.
Jones performed with a star working again in Saquon Barkley for his first 5 seasons with the Giants, and he had then-rookie large receiver Malik Nabers to throw to final 12 months.
However Jones by no means had a full complement of weapons with the Giants like he does now in Indy.
Jonathan Taylor, a onetime All-Professional working again, leads the NFL with 236 speeding yards. Rookie tight finish Tyler Warren seems to be the a part of a first-round choose. Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce and Josh Downs are established NFL receivers, whereas Adonai Mitchell was a current second-round choice.
Jones additionally has a head coach in Steichen who helped develop Justin Herbert because the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2020 and Jalen Hurts because the Philadelphia Eagles’ OC from 2021-23.
“I think the guys have taken to him,” Steichen stated of Jones in August when he named him the Colts’ starter. “He’s a great communicator with the guys. You can see that veteran presence out there.”
The one quarterback with extra passing yards this season is Jones’ Giants alternative, Russell Wilson, who has thrown for 618. However the Giants are 0-2 for the tenth time in 13 seasons, whereas the Colts are 2-0 for the primary time since 2009.
Jones might turn into the most recent ex-New York quarterback to search out success elsewhere.
Former Jets second-round choose Geno Smith loved a profession resurgence with the Seattle Seahawks and is now the starter for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sam Darnold, a former No. 3 general choose by the Jets, delivered a career-best season with the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings final 12 months, then signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle within the offseason.
And whereas he stated it’s nonetheless early, Jones acknowledged that it’s “maybe a little bit” rewarding to be proving his doubters flawed.
“You try to block it out. You don’t seek it out, but you know what people are saying and you know what the narrative is in a lot of situations,” Jones stated Sunday.
“I’ve played a few years now, and one game, two games don’t make a season. It’s a long, long season, and you’ve got to be able to sustain that.”
