So, I don't know if any of you have checked in on the Indianapolis Colts this season, but it has been weird, compared to expectations. And scary as hell.....for the rest of the league.

After going 8-9 with a mix of Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco at QB last season, Colts head coach (and former Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator) Shane Steichen did the one thing that absolutely nobody expected: He gave up on the future....kinda.

The future of the team, as it has been envisioned since he was taken with the 4th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was one with Anthony Richardson playing a Lamar Jackson-style role at QB. That was the Colts' path to success until it wasn't.

In March, the Colts signed former New York Giants QB Daniel Jones. Everyone assumed that Jones would play much the same role as Flacco last season, a veteran backup who can be a credible starter if/when Richardson gets injured (staying healthy has been an issue for him).

Two months ago, when Steichen named Daniel Jones the team's starting QB over Richardson, it was viewed as a potential motivation technique for the younger player. But the head coach insisted that Jones, who signed a 1-year deal for $14 million in the offseason to join the Colts after being cut by the Giants during the 2024 season and joining the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, was his team's "starting quarterback for the season."

Well, somehow, it's working.

The Colts are 5-1, the only mark against them being a 27-20 road loss to the very good Los Angeles Rams. Their offense leads the league in points scored and ranks 4th in total yards. Their running game ranks 6th in rushing yards and 1st in rushing TDs, and their passing offense has maybe been the most efficient in the entire league.

The offense feels like a mix of what the Eagles run (and where Steichen was the OC from 2021-22) and how the Chargers tried to operate during Justin Herbert's rookie season in 2020 (with Steichen as OC). By that, I mean that it's a system that can be very effective if the QB avoids mistakes and keeps plays alive with their legs.

Enter 28-year-old Daniel Jones.

After 70 games as the starting QB of the New York Giants, Jones was released and the team made plans to draft a new franchise QB with their 1st round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jones is now having the best season of his career by far. Here's where his averages sit today:

• Highest completion % of his career
• Career highs for yards/attempt, adjusted yards/attempt, yards/completion and yards/game
• Highest QBR and QB Rating of his career
• Lowest sack % of his career by far
• Highest success % of his career by far
• 2nd highest TD % of his career, 2nd lowest interception % of his career

To put it bluntly, the Colts have done the thing the Giants could never do: they figured out how to use Daniel Jones the right way.

So, instead of talking about Anthony Richardson going on the IR with an absolutely insane freak pre-game injury, the Colts can talk about how they're setting themselves up to be in a good position come playoff time.

And Jones, who sometimes seemed like he would have to carry the Giants to victory on his back, can rest easy knowing that he has a system that plays to his strengths, a run game that can dominate because of the threat of an effective passing attack, and a defense that is among the league's best in terms of turning the ball over and keeping opposing teams out of the end zone.

If that's enough to scare you, the Chargers have to play the Vikings four days after taking on the Colts. The test of this team's mettle is here and how they survive the next two weeks could determine how far they'll go.