The Indianapolis Colts play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, and the game is on prime time. The teams will face each other on Sunday Night Football. The issue is that Indy quarterback Daniel Jones is at his worst when the lights are on the brightest, and that should worry fans.
Since entering the NFL with the New York Giants in 2019, Jones has been the starting QB 16 times for his respective teams. In that time, he has one win. His 1-15 record is the worst of any quarterback with at least 10 prime-time starts. His only victory came during the 2022 season when the Giants defeated the Washington Commanders.
The blame for all those losses does fall somewhat heavily on Jones, too. He has 12 touchdown passes, but 20 interceptions. One wonders how good he might be should the Colts reach the playoffs. Maybe Jones doesn't respond to pressure well, at least not in prime-time games.
Daniel Jones' terrible prime-time record doesn't mean the Indianapolis Colts can't win in Week 2
The Chiefs certainly are not going to make Jones' job easier. Kansas City is used to playing in late games, having done so the third-most times since 2018, the year that quarterback Patrick Mahomes became KC's full-time starter.
The positive is that Week 2's game will be much more than Jones versus Mahomes. While Kansas City had an impressive victory against the Denver Broncos in Week 1 and Indianapolis was blown out by the Baltimore Ravens, it was just one game.
Often, the first games of an NFL season are not indicative of how well a team will do throughout the season. The Seattle Seahawks lost in the season opener last year, for instance, and ended the season by winning the Super Bowl. Maybe the same thing can happen to Indy this season.
Indianapolis also has a couple of other reasons to be optimistic about the Chiefs game. One is that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo isn't facing Lamar Jackson, as he was in Week 1. Anarumo is 1-10 in his career against a Jackson-led offense.
Anarumo is 3-4 against a Patrick Mahomes-led offense, and that implies the Indianapolis Colts should have a chance in this weekend's game.
While head coach Shane Steichen doesn't have a sparkling record against Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, it isn't because Steichen's offense hasn't done relatively well. In four games as either an offensive coordinator or head coach, Steichen's teams have scored 20 points twice against Spagnuolo, but 35 points once and 38 points once.
While Daniel Jones has an awful prime-time record, he has only faced the Chiefs twice. Jones' team hasn't won either matchup, but the quarterback played well in both meetings. He has four touchdowns and just one interception against KC. In other words, Colts fans should have faith that Indy can come through on Sunday Night Football.
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