Even before he entered the NFL, Daniel Jones was already a polarizing figure. So, it only makes sense that one may get opposite assessments of his play thus far, depending on who you ask. The jury's still out, though the balance should be positive.
Considering that he's coming off a major injury and has faced three elite defenses, some would agree that Jones has played pretty well. Others, however, will point to some of his decisions, like that head-scratching interception in Week 3, to state the opposite.
Whatever the case, and regardless of where one stands, one thing's undeniable: The Washington Commanders have a terrible pass defense but are great against the run, so Daniel Jones must be on his game on Sunday if the Indianapolis Colts want to come back home with the W.
The Indianapolis Colts will need Danny Dimes in London
International games are often flukey and can lead to weird outcomes. Not surprisingly, referees also tend to favor high-scoring affairs, most likely to draw foreign audiences. However, Dan Quinn's terrible pass defense is no fluke; that has been the case since he took the reins of the team.
Through three games, the Commanders are giving up 280.3 passing yards per game, the second-most in the league. Notably, they're one of two teams actually doing worse than the Colts (276.0), though Indianapolis won't have to deal with Jayden Daniels (elbow) in this one.
Conversely, the Commanders are absolutely elite against the run. They're holding opposing teams to 82.0 rushing yards per game, the third-lowest average in the league. That spells trouble for Jonathan Taylor, who hasn't been as efficient and is averaging just 3.91 yards per carry this season, with one fumble lost.
Jones has shown flashes of his pre-injury form, operating with poise in the pocket and making beautiful throws before seemingly forgetting how to read a defense. It's been a true case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, with him completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 611 yards, three scores, and three picks.
While he's never known for being a gunslinger, Jones has much more arm talent than he gets credit for. He knows how to find his guys in stride and has great ball placement skills, so he should be able to find gaps in the Commanders' shaky secondary all day long.
The Commanders' pass rush should be a walk in the park for the offensive line after dealing with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter last week, and Jones should feast with a clean pocket against one of the worst cornerback units in the game.
Marcus Mariota turned back the clock with a gutsy performance in the win over the Seattle Seahawks, but that's not sustainable. He won't hesitate to push the ball downfield, but that often ends with the ball in the defense's hands.
That said, with this potentially being a high-scoring game and Jonathan Taylor not being a factor, the Colts will have to rely on their quarterback much more than usual. This is the perfect time to get rolling and build some much-needed momentum, and it'll also help his case about his future with the team after getting paid big bucks this offseason.
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