Daniel Jones didn’t play a snap for the Minnesota Vikings last season.
However, the quarterback soaked in as much information as possible as the backup to Sam Darnold, and judging by the early returns this season, it worked like a charm for him.
Following his first start with the Indianapolis Colts, Jones opened up on his time with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff.
“The biggest thing I took away from there was the preparation and how detailed they were in the game plan. How much they prepare for certain looks, checks they had, motions to undress the defense. Every little thing, they were going over, they were talking through or walking through. It was very, very detailed. ‘Here’s what we’re expecting, here’s what we’re going to do to it.’ The preparation day to day throughout the week was really impressive to me. I think being around those guys and seeing that … was really impressive,” Jones said.
“The biggest thing I took away from there was the preparation and how detailed they were in the game plan.”
– Former #Vikings QB Daniel Jones on his time in Minnesotapic.twitter.com/BpFPkYbTtZ
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) September 10, 2025
Jones signed with the Colts as a free agent and used that knowledge to overtake Anthony Richardson for their starting quarterback job.
Then, he torched the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, completing 22 of 29 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
He added seven rushes for 26 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
All in all, the Colts had 27 first downs and were 7-for-15 on third down and 3-for-3 on fourth down.
They had 418 total yards of offense, didn’t turn over the ball, and didn’t even punt in the entire game.
Granted, the Dolphins had plenty to do with that, but it was still an encouraging sign for Jones.
This also speaks volumes about the way things unfolded for him with the New York Giants.
Jones struggled early and often there, and after watching Russell Wilson go through more of the same in their season opener against the Washington Commanders, perhaps he wasn’t the problem after all.
