Before a season-ending Achilles injury, was Daniel Jones’ performance last season for the Indianapolis Colts a blip on the radar or a sign of what’s to come?
Through 10 games, the Colts held an 8-2 record, with Jones and the offense off to a red-hot start. The Colts offense was one of the highest-scoring offenses in football during that stretch, with Jones ranked among the best in numerous key passing categories.
So can that success be replicated? ESPN’s Ben Solak does think so, calling Jones’ performance a “super blip.”
Solak’s evaluation is due to how Jones performed under pressure for much of the season.
“Statistical performance under pressure is notoriously volatile, and through seven weeks, Jones led the league in EPA per dropback when pressured,” Solak wrote. “This was not really commensurate with his play over the previous six seasons with the Giants, when pressure tended to make him fold.”
And even before Jones’ injury in Jacksonville, defenses were already beginning to find more success against him and the Colts’ offense. With Jones missing the final several games of the season, we never found out if Jones and Shane Steichen would have been able to counter what defenses were doing.
“As the clock struck midnight and the carriage became a pumpkin, Jones’ pressure-to-sack ratio shot back up,” wrote Solak. “In the middle of the season, Jones began taking bad sacks against the Titans (33.3%), Steelers (27.8%) and Falcons (43.8%).”
All that said, while Solak doesn’t expect Jones to return to his peak 2025 form, that doesn’t mean he and the Colts can’t be productive.
“Jones was never coached well in New York, and his immediate comfort in Steichen’s offense is notable,” Solak wrote. “He’ll never again achieve those 2025 highs, but could he give the Colts what the Buccaneers have gotten from Baker Mayfield? I believe so.”
The Colts re-signed Jones to a two-year, $88 million deal this offseason, operating under the belief that the success he and the Colts had through 10 games last season can be recreated and sustained.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Can Colts’ Daniel Jones recreate last season’s success? ESPN analyst weighs in
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Bretl, Colts Wire | USA TODAY Network
