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, the former Giants castoff, closed out his 2024 season under the practice squad tutelage of Vikings whispering guru Kevin O’Connell.)_
1. Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who has started all eight games, playing 499 of 499 snaps.
2. Colts Canton-bound left guard Quenton Nelson, who has started all eight games, playing 470 snaps (94%).
3. Colts center — and successor to Vikings center Ryan Kelly — Tanor Bortolini, who has started all eight games, playing 480 snaps (96%).
4. 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).
5. Colts right tackle Braden Smith, who has started all eight games, playing 471 snaps (94%).
Now compare that to the mess Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy have dealt with and why they’ve been running for their livelihoods so far this season …
1. Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who has missed two games while playing only 73% of the snaps (233) in the other five.
2. Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson, who has missed two games while playing 99% of the snaps (277) in the other five.
3. Kelly, who has missed four games while playing just 63% of the snaps (113) in the other three.
4. Fries, who has started all seven games, playing 97% of the snaps (410).
5. 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