How Daniel Jones is 'doing a really nice job' as Colts starting QB

Daniel Jones recently credited the Indianapolis Colts' coaching staff and his teammates for his solid play over back-to-back wins to open the season. 

Specifically, Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith mentioned that the Colts became the first team in NFL history to go without punting in either of their first two games of a campaign. While speaking with reporters on Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen detailed what Jones is doing well as Indianapolis' QB1. 

Daniel Jones looks comfortable in Shane Steichen's offense

"I think he’s doing a really nice job of going through his reads," Steichen said about Jones, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "If the first read is not there, he’s getting to his second, third reads. The offensive line is doing a hell of a job for him. I think he’s communicating well with the receivers throughout the week — different looks that could come up, route adjustments, all those different things throughout the course of a week of preparation. Then to see it happen on Sundays has been good, so we’ve got to continue that."

According to Pro Football Reference, Jones ended Week 2 of the season ranked sixth in the NFL among qualified players with an 80.8 adjusted QBR, sixth with a 111.1 passer rating, sixth with a 71.4 percent completion percentage, second with 588 passing yards and first with an average of 9.3 yards gained per pass attempt. In total, he tallied five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing) with no interceptions and two sacks taken over his first two games with Indianapolis. To compare, Jones recorded 10 passing touchdowns and 13 picks with 59 sacks taken over his final 16 starts with the New York Giants. 

Is best still to come for Daniel Jones' Indianapolis Colts tenure?

"I think when you start playing at a high level, obviously your confidence grows and builds, not with just Daniel, with any player," Steichen added during his comments about Jones. "And obviously, we want to continue that trend each and every week, and he’s been doing a hell of a job. So, we’ve got to continue that this week. The preparation is going to be a big part of it." 

Those running the Giants didn't hide that they had essentially given up on Jones before the start of the 2024 season. That experience is now behind the 28-year-old who seemingly has found an opportunity to restart his career in Indianapolis. As of Tuesday afternoon, ESPN BET had the 2-0 Colts as 3.5-point road favorites for this coming Sunday's matchup at the 0-2 Tennessee Titans.