Falcons’ next opponent: A quick look at Daniel Jones and the Colts
FLOWERY BRANCH — Quarterback Daniel Jones, the former early first-round draft pick of the Giants, has resurrected his career with the Colts.
Jones, with the help of running back Jonathan Taylor, has the Colts off to a 7-2 start as they are about to face the Falcons (3-5) at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
“I think we’ll try to create a normal week as we can, as much as possible,” Colts coach Shane Steichen told media members in Indianapolis on Monday. “Obviously, we’re going to be traveling earlier this week than we would normal away games, but we’ve got to attack it the same way. Thursday prep will be the same, and we’ll get out there on Friday and attack it like we do any normal week.”
While Taylor leads the NFL in rushing with 895 yards, Jones’ play has been lauded around the league.
He has completed 204 of 293 attempts (69.6%) for 2,404 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has a passer rating of 101.7.
Jones is coming off his worst game of the season. He had a season-low 63.9 passer rating and threw three interceptions. The Colts fell behind 24-7 to the Steelers and had to throw. Jones had 50 attempts and completed 31 for 342 yards and a touchdown.
“When you commit the turnovers like we did, it’s hard to win football games,” Steichen said for the five-turnover performance.
The Colts believe Jones will bounce back.
“He’s steady as all get out,” Steichen said. “Obviously, looked at the tape, get the things that we need to get corrected, corrected, and then we go attack it again. He’ll be prepared and ready to go. He’s already probably watching Atlanta film right now. … I’m sure he’s on to them.”
Defensive end Laiatu Latu leads the Colts in sacks with five. He was the first defensive end taken in the 2024 draft and was heavily scouted by the Falcons, who took quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick.
“Latu did a hell of a job getting the sacks that he did,” Steichen said. “But it’s — a lot of it stemmed, too, from the coverage on the back end. I thought our guys were sticky in coverage all day. I think we held them to 225 total yards.”
Cornerback Jaylon Jones held Pittsburgh’s DK Metcalf to two catches for 6 yards.
“That was one of our keys,” Steichen said. “I thought he did a good job covering all day, so it was good to get him back in the lineup. We’re excited for his next opportunity coming up this week.”
The Colts got some more secondary help when they traded two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner, according to the IndyStar. Gardner, a two-time first-team All-Pro who signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension this offseason was added in time to face the Falcons.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London is coming off a big three-touchdown game. The Falcons are expecting the Colts to double-team London.
“He’s going to get doubled,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “That’s going to happen. He’s going to get doubled, and everybody’s going to have to step up. It’s right about that time we are going to need people to step up.”
The addition of Gardner may change their thinking.
The Falcons will need more from wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Kyle Pitts in the passing game.
“All the other guys that we’ve got, Bijan (Robinson),” Morris said. “We’ve got a lot of guys out there that can make some things happen. They’ve got to go make it happen for us.”
Taylor also leads the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns and 5.7 yards per carry. The Steelers got the big lead and held him to 45 yards on 14 carries.
The Falcons’ plan to slow Taylor will include more of converted linebacker Ronnie Harrison, who entered the league as a safety.
He played more in the dime formations against the Patriots and tackled well in the open field. The Falcons have had trouble replacing linebacker Divine Deablo.
“It worked out more even with JD (Bertrand) and Harrison getting more reps,” Morris said. “He’s trending in the direction of earning more rights on the field — and a lot of credit to, first of all, Ronnie, coming here in training camp, being on the practice squad. Divine goes down, and to put himself in that position, it’s hard to do. He’s thriving and playing well and doing some good things.”
Bertrand initially replaced Deablo, but the Falcons are looking at other options.
“Obviously, JD’s doing some good things, but obviously, you have to do better,” Morris said. “You have to do better in your opportunities and the situations that you get. So, we’re always going to go with the better players or the people that give us the best chance to win, and right now, it’s looking that way.”
The Colts are looking to bounce back after their loss to the Steelers.
“As a collective, taking ownership and everything that happened out there on all three phases and getting it cleaned up in a hurry because we’ve got a hell of a challenge coming up against Atlanta,” Steichen said.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
