Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has not only rebounded his career to become an MVP candidate through the regular season’s first month of play, but he’s unlocked a part of himself. Thanks in large part to head coach Shane Steichen’s usage, Jones has quickly blossomed as one of the league’s worst passers under pressure and/or while blitzed to one of the best.
Heading into the season, Daniel Jones’ career passing numbers under such duress resulted in an uninspiring outlook. Even throughout training camp and preseason play, there was subpar play from Jones in these areas, certainly not enough to predict such an emergence. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones was a career 61.9% thrower when blitzed (466-758) and a brutal 49.8% passer under pressure (384-771).
Fast-forward to a month of regular-season ball with the Colts, and Jones has proven to be lethal against both pressure and/or blitzes. Ironically enough, he’s even struggled at times under zero pressure while thriving against what once was his crux as a quarterback. According to Next Gen Stats, Daniel Jones was under pressure on a season-high 48.6% of his dropbacks against the Los Angeles Rams, yet thrived in those situations, completing 12 of 15 passes for 198 yards and 1 touchdown. Conversely, Jones struggled when not facing pressure from the Rams, completing 12 of 18 passes for just 64 yards while throwing both of his interceptions.
It’s difficult to understand why these aspects have seemingly flipped. Perhaps a regression to the mean is on the way, but at least Jones has proven that he can succeed under duress through the season’s first month of play after a career of shortcomings in said area. Through four weeks, Daniel Jones has generated the highest dropback success rate (61.5%) and gained the most passing yards (470) of any quarterback against the blitz, per Next Gen Stats.
This Sunday will be a solid test for Daniel Jones and his newfound self in the pocket. Superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders travel to Indianapolis as they search for their second win of the season. The good news for Jones and the Colts’ passing offense is that the Raiders’ playstyle on defense emulates what they’ve thrived against thus far. According to Next Gen Stats, the Raiders have blitzed on 32.7% of opponent dropbacks, the 10-highest rate in the NFL. They’ve generated pressure on only 32.0% of their blitzes, good for the 8th-lowest rate leaguewide.
Daniel Jones has been phenomenal under duress so far this season, and this week will serve as another test to see if the real Danny Dimes is lurking, waiting to return, or if Indiana Jones was the real quarterback under the mask the entire time.
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