Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – A high-octane offense has Indianapolis off to their best NFL start since 2009, but quarterback Daniel Jones says early accolades don’t mean much and the Colts remain “hungry” as they head into a Sunday showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jones himself has been outstanding, and last week joined Josh Allen and Dak Prescott as the only players with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown, and a passer rating of 100 or higher in three of his team’s first six games of the season. The Colts are 5-1 for the first time since 2009 — when quarterback Peyton Manning was named NFL Most Valuable Player and Indianapolis reached the Super Bowl.
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But Jones said Most Valuable Player chatter is premature, and he has bigger goals for himself and the Colts. “We’ve got a long way to go,” Jones said. “I really enjoy playing with these guys, and I think we’ve got a lot of talented players across the board.”
The Colts were tested by a stout Arizona Cardinals defense last week but still put up 31 points in a comeback victory, Jones saying it was the kind of challenge that only improves the team. “I thought just, mentally, the fact we were able to kind of come down and execute down the stretch and make sure we were at our best when we needed to be, I think that goes a long way,” he said. “We’re a hungry group, still — still working to improve however we can.”
There’s a similar buzz surrounding veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield and the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Mayfield, like Jones, is wary of getting caught up in the hype with less than half the season gone. “It’s week six,” Mayfield said after “MVP” chants erupted among home fans when he hit Tez Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown pass in a victory over San Francisco on Sunday. “It’s awesome to have support, don’t get me wrong, but we’re just getting started,” Mayfield said.
Up next is a clash on Monday in Detroit, where the Lions will be aiming to bounce back from a loss to Kansas City that snapped their four-game winning streak. Even with both teams dealing with notable injury absences, Mayfield and Detroit counterpart Jared Goff are likely to provide a show. Goff leads the NFL with 14 touchdown passes, and Goff and Mayfield are the league’s top two passers in yards and touchdowns over the past three seasons.
Both were number one draft selections, and both are now starring for teams other than the ones that drafted them. Both players have noted the similarities in their stories and say they have forged a friendship after what Goff called “some dark days in that transition and coming out the other side.” “I’m a big fan of his,” said Goff, whose Lions will be aiming to burnish their bounce-back credentials. They haven’t lost back-to-back regular-season games since 2022.
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