QB Daniel Jones, running back Jonathan Taylor have Indy off to surprising 3-0 start

Quarterback Daniel Jones has as many wins in his first three starts with the team as he did over the last two seasons with the New York Giants — and still has not been intercepted. Jonathan Taylor's 338 yards rushing are the franchise's highest three-week rushing total since 1970, and he now has three TD runs in back-to-back games against Tennessee.

Surprised?

“We’re doing stuff I’ve never seen before, and we’ve never felt like this,” sixth-year receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said after his second TD catch in three weeks during Sunday's 41-20 victory. “We’ve just got to keep on doing it. We’ve got to keep that confidence up, but we've also got to keep the work up."

Indy might be the most unlikely of the league's six unbeaten teams, but the question is can they keep playing this well?

Why not? They're following a traditional winning combination — running the ball effectively, throwing the ball efficiently and winning the turnover battle with a group of mostly proven veterans.

Jones looks more like the player the Giants thought he was when they signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract three years ago than the one they released last year.

Taylor is playing more like the 2021 NFL rushing champion as Sunday's game-changing, tackle-breaking 46-yard TD run demonstrated.

Pittman has reverted more to his expected form after trying to play through a back injury last season and rookie tight end Tyler Warren has given Indy the over-the-middle threat it's lacked for years. Defensively, the Colts have allowed the seventh-lowest point total, 56 entering Monday, and Indy has only punted once all season while playing in a division with two winless teams, Houston and Tennessee.

It's given the Colts their best start since 2009 and each week they'll have a chance to prove it's no fluke. And with everyone including Jones, who signed a one-year contract with the Colts in March, motivated to prove themselves all over again, the Colts know what must be done.

“Every time we step out there, every time we get the ball, we expect to execute and go down the field and score. So no, I don’t think the expectation changes,” Jones said. “There are still things we've got to clean up and work on. I think we still had some missed opportunities."

What’s working

Taylor and Pittman. While a healthy Taylor got his career back on track last season, Pittman's 2024 numbers were his least productive season since his rookie season. Now, for the first time since 2021, both are operating at full throttle, and the difference is becoming increasingly evident.

What needs help

Finding a secondary rusher. Taylor doesn't just lead the league in rushing, he also has a league-high 60 carries. That puts him on pace for a career-high 340. While Taylor is more than capable of being that type of workhorse back, finding someone to lighten the load slightly should be a priority in future weeks.

Stock up

TE Tyler Warren. On a day the rookie caught only three passes for 38 yards, his biggest impact came as the lead blocker on Taylor's long scoring run. Steichen calls Warren a throwback type of player, and he's demonstrated that in multiple ways each of the first three weeks. He also has a team-high 14 receptions.

Stock down

WR Josh Downs. It's not that Downs has done anything wrong, but for the second time in three games the usually busy slot receiver has been targeted only three times. He caught two passes for 34 yards but has only 10 catches for 97 yards this seasons.

Injuries

The Colts had two Pro Bowl CBs unable to finish Sunday's game. Kenny Moore II started with an interception return for a TD on the game's third play but eventually left with a calf injury. And CB Charvarius Ward, who cleared the concussion protocol last week, left in the second half with an undisclosed injury. WR Alec Pierce also left with a concussion.

Key number

29 — The Colts have scored at least 29 points in each of their first three games for the first time since 1969.

Next steps

The Colts visit the Rams seeking their first win in Los Angeles since 2009, which also happens to be the previous time Indy was 4-0.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl