FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Sure, quarterback Daniel Jones looked good in the Colts' season-opening win. But their Week 1 opponent was the Dolphins, and consensus seems to be that they're not very good. So we noticed, but we tried not to overreact.
The Week 2 victory against the Broncos, who are supposed to have a great defense, seemed a little more worthy of our attention. But Denver still had the game won if not for a dumb penalty that gave the Colts a second chance at the game-winning field goal.
But now Jones has done it three weeks in a row, leading Indianapolis to a 41-20 win over the Titans. So he gets to lead the Week 3 Overreactions column, where we sort through the weekly overreactions to try and figure out which ones might hold up and which ones are mirages.
Jump to:
Daniel Jones an MVP candidate?
Bengals need to trade for Kirk Cousins?
Did C.J. Stroud peak as a rookie?
Should the Eagles air it out more?
Is Emeka Egbuka the OROY favorite?
Daniel Jones is going to be in the MVP conversation
Through the first two weeks, Jones -- the reclamation-project quarterback the Colts signed to compete with former No. 4 overall draft pick Anthony Richardson Sr. for their starting quarterback job -- ranked second in the NFL in passing yards, first in yards per attempt, sixth in Total QBR and had three rushing touchdowns on top of all that. He kept it rolling, completing a cool 18 of 25 passes for 228 yards in a more Jonathan Taylor-centric lopsided victory over the Titans.
Jones looks like a different guy. After going 7-for-9 for 130 yards and a touchdown on passes thrown at least 10 yards downfield on Sunday, he's now completing 65% of such throws this season. He completed 50% of them in his first six seasons in the league. Sunday's win improved Indy's record to 3-0 -- a full three games ahead of the reeling two-time defending AFC South champion Texans (though only one game ahead of the plucky 2-1 Jaguars).
The Colts have punted once so far this season. They've scored on 77% of their offensive possessions -- the highest such mark for any team in its first three games over the past 45 seasons. If the Colts end up winning their division -- something they haven't done since 2014, when Chuck Pagano was their coach and Andrew Luck was their quarterback -- and Jones keeps playing like this in coach Shane Steichen's offense, this isn't the last time you're going to hear someone talk about Jones' MVP qualifications.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
I have full respect for what Jones is doing, and think it's sustainable to some degree. The Colts' formula feels not unlike the one the Giants employed when they made the playoffs with Jones at quarterback in 2022. This Colts team probably has a better roster than that Giants team did. But it's just way too early for this kind of talk.
The combined record of the teams the Colts have beaten is 1-8. Let's see how they handle themselves against an angry Rams team next week in Los Angeles, or against a good-looking Chargers team three weeks later. Let's see Jones stay healthy and consistent, which he hasn't done for much of his career. And even if he does keep it rolling, let's see if the MVP voters take it seriously.
Even after the great performance Sam Darnold had in Minnesota last season, he still only got three fifth-place votes and finished 10th in the MVP balloting. This is an extremely fun story, and Jones and the Colts can absolutely win the AFC South. But MVP? Daniel Jones? That still feels like a galaxy far, far away.
The Bengals need to call the Falcons about Kirk Cousins right now
After starting quarterback Joe Burrow went down last week with a toe injury that's going to keep him out at least three months, the Bengals insisted they wouldn't panic -- that they believed backup Jake Browning could run their offense and win games for them. Browning was 4-3 as their starter when Burrow suffered a season-ending injury in 2023, and it stood to reason that another year-plus of development and experience would position him to, if nothing else, keep them afloat. But the early returns are not good.
Cincinnati had its doors blown off 48-10 by the Vikings in its first game post-Burrow. Browning threw two interceptions and took three sacks. The Bengals turned the ball over five times total. Minnesota cornerback Isaiah Rodgers returned two of those turnovers for touchdowns. The Bengals were down 34-3 at halftime, and while Browning wasn't the only reason for the loss by any stretch, he didn't look like a quarterback capable of lugging Cincinnati into the playoffs even after their 2-0 start.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
It never hurts to ask, right? Cousins wants out of Atlanta, where he signed a four-year contract in the spring of 2024 but was relegated to backup duty by the end of his first season there. I think the Falcons would take the call, but I still think it would cost a lot to pry Cousins out of there.
He actually finished Sunday's game for the Falcons after starter Michael Penix Jr. had a miserable time in what turned out to be a 30-0 loss to the Panthers. With all of the quarterback injuries we've already seen (and the potential that the offense doesn't get going around Penix), the Falcons like having a veteran with Cousins' extensive experience in that backup role.
I also didn't get the sense last week that this was something Cincinnati would consider. I'm not sure they see the 2025 version of Cousins as a marked improvement over Browning, given their familiarity with Browning. But if they're still holding onto hope that Burrow can come back toward the end of the season, and the mission is to keep things afloat until that happens, Browning must look a lot better than he did Sunday. Or else the Bengals will have to look at other options.
C.J. Stroud peaked in his rookie season and will never be that good again
As we mentioned above, the Texans are 0-3 after Sunday's 17-10 loss to the division-rival Jaguars. Houston is averaging 12.7 points per game, and Stroud was 25-for-38 for 204 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) with a touchdown and two interceptions Sunday. He led Houston back from a 10-3 deficit and tied the game with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins in the fourth quarter, but the final two Houston drives ended with a Collins fumble and a Stroud interception.
Stroud has 599 yards, two touchdown passes and three interceptions in his first three games of the season, and things do not seem to be coming together for him and new offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
The Texans remade their offensive line in the offseason, but it hasn't looked like an improvement thus far. Houston struggled badly to protect Stroud last season and is doing so again in the early going this season. There is no run game to speak of. No receiver has emerged as a reliable second option behind Collins. They just look like a bad team in a lot of ways that have little to do with the quarterback.
This isn't to excuse Stroud -- he absolutely needs to play better and to find a way to jell with Caley and soon if the Texans are going to save their season. But the circumstances around him have been less than ideal since his rookie season, and what he was able to do that year was no fluke. I believe that if the Texans can build themselves into a more reliable supporting cast, Stroud has the ability to recapture his rookie-year magic.
Even with Saquon Barkley, the Eagles should try passing more!
Through the first two weeks of the season, the defending Super Bowl champs had the third-fewest pass attempts and the second-fewest passing yards in the NFL. They didn't care, because they were 2-0 thanks to a bunch of Jalen Hurts scrambles in Week 1 and a timely interception and a bunch of tush-pushes in Week 2. But they fell behind the Rams 26-7 on Sunday and had to throw to catch up.
How'd it go? Well, Hurts ended up with 226 yards and three touchdown passes (also ran for one) and the Eagles came back to win 33-26 thanks to Jordan Davis' electrifying field goal block return touchdown. Philadelphia is 3-0 with victories over the Cowboys, Chiefs and Rams to start the season, and Sunday showed they can win by throwing if they need to.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
I get that Barkley is their best player, and that if a team can generate explosive plays in the run game (which is inherently less risky than passing the ball), that's an awesome thing to be able to do. The Eagles rode that formula to their second Super Bowl title last season. They sure as heck don't need my advice.
So think of this as more of a plea from someone who watches these games and wants them to be entertaining. Philadelphia is paying wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith a combined $57 million a year. It's paying its quarterback $51 million a year. I get that it's all about winning games and it doesn't matter how it looks and blah blah blah. But maaaan ... don't tell me it has to be ball control and the same hideous-looking rugby play every time you're in fourth-and-1. People are paying for parking, dang it. Throw the ball! Be entertaining! After all, you're good at it!
Emeka Egbuka is going to be Offensive Rookie of the Year
Tampa Bay's electrifying rookie receiver didn't score a touchdown Sunday -- the first game of his NFL career in which he failed to do that. But he had 85 yards on six catches, including a clutch 28-yard grab on that got the Buccaneers into Jets territory on what turned out to be the game-winning field goal drive.
Egbuka wasn't even a sure thing to play after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday with hip and groin injuries he suffered in last Monday's victory over Houston. But he returned to practice Friday, played Sunday and made a significant impact for the Bucs, who are 3-0 for the first time since 2005 and look as if they found a first-round gem.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
Early in training camp, the Buccaneers were telling anyone who would listen how impressed they were with Egbuka. Quarterback Baker Mayfield told me when I visited their camp that Egbuka is a high-level technician whose skills and knowledge about the position far exceed those of a run-of-the-mill rookie. The pick was viewed by many as weird when the Bucs made it in April. After all, they already had veteran Mike Evans, promising second-year man Jalen McMillan and had re-signed the injured Chris Godwin Jr. to a three-year contract extension. Wide receiver didn't feel like a need.
But the Bucs saw something special in Egbuka, especially with Evans likely nearing the end of his brilliant career and Godwin working his way back from a gruesome season-ending injury. Even with Godwin expected back soon, I don't think Egbuka's role is in major trouble. He's earned his quarterback's trust and proven he can handle multiple different receiver positions in the offense. Egbuka is here to stay. And if he stays healthy and the Bucs keep winning, he'll be the strong favorite for this award.
