Below are the top five reasons Daniel Jones is suddenly Superman on the NFL’s best team in Indianapolis (7-1) and why he would be just another harried, beat-up quarterback on a disappointing 3-4 team had he chosen to stay in Minnesota.
(And, just so you know, none of the five reasons has anything to do with quarterback gurus and/or whisperers residing in Indy this fall or Minny last fall, when Jones, a New York Giants castoff, closed out his 2024 season under the practice squad tutelage of Vikings whispering guru Kevin O’Connell.)
Here are those reasons …
- Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who has started all eight games, playing 499 of 499 snaps.
- Colts Canton-bound left guard Quenton Nelson, who has started all eight games, playing 470 snaps (94%).
- Colts center — and successor to Vikings center Ryan Kelly — Tanor Bortolini, who has started all eight games, playing 480 snaps (96%).
- Colts right guard — and successor to Vikings right guard Will Fries — Matt Goncalves, who has started seven games, playing 436 snaps (99% of those seven games).
- Colts right tackle Braden Smith, who has started all eight games, playing 471 snaps (94%).
Total missed games: 1
Total missed snaps: 138
Now compare that with the mess Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy have dealt with and why they’ve been running for their livelihoods so far this season …
- Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who has missed two games while playing only 73% of the snaps (233) in the other five.
- Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson, who has missed two games while playing 99% of the snaps (277) in the other five.
- Kelly, who has missed four games while playing just 63% of the snaps (113) in the other three.
- Fries, who has started all seven games, playing 97% of the snaps (410).
- Right tackle Brian O’Neill, who has missed two games while playing only 75% of the snaps in the other five (231).
Total missed starts/games: 10
Total missed snaps: 867
