It’s remarkable how a change of scenery can help a player’s fortune. Daniel Jones went from being a first-round bust at the New York Giants to rubbing shoulders with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson for the league MVP within a year.
Jones helped the Indianapolis Colts win three straight games to start a season for the first time since Peyton Manning in 2009. Now, hardly anyone will make the audacious attempt to compare these two athletes.
Manning, a Hall of Famer, played for two clubs his entire NFL career, while Jones is on his third team since last November (the Giants, the Vikings, and now the Colts).
Manning was named the MVP on five different occasions, the first one coming during his sixth league campaign (2003). Jones, a seventh-year veteran, is finally breaking into the conversation.
63 completions from 88 attempts (71.6%) for 816 yards (9.3 yards per throw), 3 touchdowns, and zero interceptions, along with 17 carries, 3 rushing touchdowns, 2 sacks, and zero fumbles, have forced everybody to take notice.
In fact, Jones has put up better numbers than the reigning league MVP, Josh Allen. Allen’s first three games produced 755 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 7.6 yards per throw, and 69.7% pass completion.
Allen, meanwhile, boasts a better PFF grade of 87.1 compared to Jones’ 85, and both have made 4 big-time throws.
Former NFL quarterback bats for Daniel Jones to continue MVP form
No one can be crowned MVP after playing just three games. They have to consistently perform and win games to be crowned the best player in the NFL.
Jones, so far, has shown that he is capable of producing match-winning moments in Shane Stiechen’s offense, but sustaining it for a long period may prove difficult. If he pulls it off, then Dan Orlovsky believes that the Duke graduate should be part of the MVP conversation with Allen, Lamar Jackson, and a few others.