The Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Daniel Jones feasted on bad opponents for much of the first half of last season. That made it seem as if Jones had finally found his best fit in the NFL after the New York Giants had given up on him. Over his last nine games, though, Jones is making the Giants look like they made the right move.
Jones' play is also making Indy general manager Chris Ballard look somewhat foolish for giving the quarterback a two-year deal worth as much as $88 million this past offseason. Indianapolis seemingly was bidding against itself and managed to overpay while doing so.
Basically, what Jones showed fans in the first half of last season might have been a lie. His true self might be what fans see now.
Indianapolis Colts' Daniel Jones is struggling but maybe there is still hope
So far this season, the Colts' QB1 has been bad. His quarterback rating (73.9) is 24th in the NFL; his seven turnovers are second-worst in the league, and while he is moving well enough to help fans forget that Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last season, he seems indecisive, with no pocket awareness.
Jones has lost three fumbles, mostly because he doesn't secure the ball well when under pressure. This is something that should have been corrected in college, let alone in the NFL. Jones either doesn't have strong enough hands to hold onto the ball when under duress or loses focus when the situation unfolds.
Either way, the problem cannot continue, and he has had the issue in both seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. While he got off to an astonishing start last season, even before breaking his fibula and then tearing his Achilles tendon a few weeks later, the turnovers had started to be an issue. In his last five games last season, he had eight turnovers.
Through four games this season, he has seven. That means in his last nine games, he has 15 turnovers. That is holding the offense back, and it isn't something an $88 million quarterback should be doing.
Can this trend of being terrible be reversed? Of course, and maybe Daniel Jones is just going through a bad patch. He was good against the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos last season, and they both had excellent defenses. Jones can do a good job, so not all hope is lost.
Jones has also been affected by not having a fully healthy Alec Pierce, and Keenan Allen replacing Michael Pittman Jr. Allen also missed Week 4. The quarterback has some good reasons for being ineffective so far. The fumbles under pressure are completely on him, though.
In the next two games, the Colts face the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, respectively. Neither is overly good at pass defense. Indy fans could see a revival of Jones' brilliance in the near future. That's the hope anyway.
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