On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts did what they’ve been doing all season: win. They had to go to Berlin, Germany, and overtime, to do it, but in the end, the Colts picked up a 31-25 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Now, Indianapolis is 8-2 on the season, tied for the best record in the NFL. If the Playoffs were to start today, the Colts would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Despite that reality and Indy’s on-field dominance, not everyone is a believer in the team’s contender status. That was evident in a recent ESPN piece by Seth Walder, placing all 32 teams in playoff odds tiers.
Based on the Colts' record and how they have looked this year, the expectation was that they would be in one of the top two tiers: tier 1: true Super Bowl contenders or tier 2: Super Bowl contenders… if they make the playoffs. Instead, Indianapolis was listed in tier 3: (almost) playoff locks.
The reason the Colts were listed here instead of one of the tiers for contenders is skepticism about Daniel Jones. Walder made that clear, saying, “The Colts should probably be higher, strictly from a numbers standpoint…But I still can't shake the Jones factor -- and everything we've seen out of him before this season.”
Colts’ contender status is being questioned because of Daniel Jones
While this is unfair to a Colts team that has dominated this season, especially offensively, it is hard for anyone who watched the NFL in recent years to forget everything they’ve seen from Jones.
The quarterback had a rough six-year stint with the New York Giants, and that’s why it was surprising that he won Indianapolis' quarterback job, and why it’s even more surprising he’s off to such a hot start with the team.
To be fair, though, Jones has been supported in a way he never was in New York. He has an elite offensive line, a dominant run game, weapons, and a creative play caller. Quarterback is the most dependent position in sports, so it makes sense that Jones is now thriving.
In 10 games, he completed 69.9% of his passes for 2,659 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He has also rushed for 143 yards and five additional touchdowns.
To Walder’s point, though, and all other critics, there have been moments where the older version of Jones showed up. In Indy’s Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback threw three interceptions and fumbled three times.
His only other multi-interception game this season came in Week 4, when he threw two in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The fear is Jones having a game like that in the postseason, when there is no next week after a loss.
The only way the Colts and Daniel Jones can shake that reputation is to actually go out and produce in the postseason.