Daniel Jones Talks NFL MVP, Jonathan Taylor, Sauce Trade and More in B/R Interview

In a typical season, the quarterback leading the NFL in passing yards for a team that is tied for the best record in the AFC would be on the short list of MVP favorites.

But in the 2025 season, that quarterback isn't even the biggest MVP candidate on his own team and is instead advocating for his backfield mate.

"It doesn't get old handing him the ball," Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones told Bleacher Report when talking about Jonathan Taylor's MVP chances. "He's been huge for us week after week. Especially in the second halves of these games, he's had a number of 60-yarders, 40-yarders, 80-yarders. 

"You get used to seeing it from JT, but when you realize how uncommon it is across the league and what a luxury it's like to have a player like that, it makes the case for itself as far as MVP. I'm not sure there's anyone affecting the game more than him right now."

Jonathan Taylor 83-Yard TD 🔥

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Sunday's 31-25 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons was just the latest example of Taylor's ability to completely take over a game for the 8-2 Colts. He finished with 32 carries for 244 yards and three touchdowns to go with three catches for 42 yards. The star running back set the tone with the game's opening touchdown and then broke free for a go-ahead 83 yard score in the fourth quarter.

Fittingly, he also scored the game-winner in overtime.

Unfortunately for Taylor, he is working against the reality the MVP has become a quarterback award. In fact, Josh Allen's win last year marked the 12th year in a row and the 17th time in the last 18 years a signal-caller won it.

The only MVP who wasn't a quarterback in that span was Adrian Peterson, who took home the award in 2012 when he ran for the second-most yards in a single season in NFL history with 2,097.

Taylor will have to maintain his dominance to challenge that number, but he has been completely unstoppable to this point with a league-leading 1,139 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns through 10 games.

But Jones deserves plenty of credit for the Colts' success as well.

He overcame an interception and seven sacks against the Falcons at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, to make two of the biggest plays of the game with a fourth-down completion to Tyler Warren to set up the tying field goal near the end of regulation and a deep pass to the tight end in overtime to move into scoring range for Taylor's touchdown.

Jones also directed those final drives with a bloody mouth that cameras did not miss.

"I'm all good, the lip's healed up and feeling good," he said. "Yeah, it's fun to go over there and play. Those games are fun, and the atmosphere in the stadium creates a buzz that's a little different than what you feel in a game here. It's fun. You see jerseys from all types of NFL teams, and the people are just excited to see football. It was fun, there was a really cool atmosphere in the stadium."

▶️ Full Falcons-Colts Recap

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That Jones delivered under the spotlight of the international game is a testament to how dramatic of a turnaround the last year has been for him.

While he entered the league with sky-high expectations when the New York Giants selected him with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft, his tenure with the NFC East team was largely defined by inconsistency on the way to a 24-44-1 overall record and one playoff appearance across six years.

He was just 2-8 as a starter last season before he was benched during a stretch that even included him playing safety on the scout team defense during practice before he was released. Jones signed with the Minnesota Vikings in a backup role following his release but didn't see the field.

There were understandable questions about where his career would go from there, but he won the starting job over Anthony Richardson after signing with the Colts. The rest is history, as Indianapolis is one of the best teams in the league at 8-2 with Jones completing 69.9 percent of his passes for an NFL-best 2,659 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

"I haven't reflected on it too much," he said of his individual turnaround in just a year's time. "We're in the heat of it now. But I will say, looking at the past year and everything that has happened, I feel fortunate to be here with the Colts. 

"It's been fun building this thing through the summer and training camp. As this team has come together, it's been fun to be a part of it. There will be a time to look back and reflect and think about it all, but for now there's a lot of football ahead of us."

The success with the Colts has shined a brighter light on him this season, and FedEx partnered with him as part of its Power Move campaign.

"It's been great," Jones said of the partnership. "I've really enjoyed the new campaign centered around the new power move. Being a quarterback, your ability to influence the team on and off the field is kind of a power move itself. I've really enjoyed working with them."

Working with FedEx also allowed him to amplify the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Awards Program that recognizes the top performances across the league every week before the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year are announced at NFL Honors ahead of Super Bowl LX.

FedEx also donates $2,000 in the names of the two winning players each week to Feeding America for a local food bank in their respective teams' cities.

And it comes as no surprise that Jones' teammate took home one of this week's awards for his efforts against the Falcons.

"I think it's a pretty clear winner this week," Jones said. "JT's done an incredible job throughout the season. He's definitely the FedEx Ground player this week, and he's making a strong push for the FedEx Ground player of the year. I'm certainly campaigning strongly for JT."

With Taylor taking home weekly awards and Jones leading the league in passing yards, the offense has made the most headlines for the Colts this season. But the defense was also in the news ahead of the Germany trip when Indianapolis traded 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, as well as wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, to the New York Jets for Sauce Gardner.

Suddenly, a secondary that needed more impact players had one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL with a resume that already includes two First-Team All-Pro selections, two Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year at just 25 years old.

The trade was also something of a signal that the front office is all in on building a contender around Jones with a willingness to give up significant draft capital that could have been used on a new franchise quarterback in the future.

"I was fired up," Jones said of the trade. "Obviously, Sauce has been a top player in the league now for three or four years. He's really a difference-maker. We practiced against him a couple times when I was in New York during training camp. Being able to see him up close like that helped me realize the type of player he was, and I knew what he would do for our team."

It was quite the addition ahead of the season's stretch run as the Colts attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 campaign and win a postseason game for the first time since the 2018 season.

At this point, anything other than an AFC South crown would be a massive disappointment with a 2.5-game lead over the 5-4 Jacksonville Jaguars and a 2-0 record in division play with multiple head-to-head wins over the Tennessee Titans.

It won't be easy, though, as they still face the Jaguars and 4-5 Houston Texans a combined four times to go with a daunting remaining schedule outside the division with matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

"We gotta keep winning games and finish strong," Jones said. "We're in a good spot right now going into our bye week with some things to work on and clean up. But it's one week at a time. It's coach speak, but it's also true. That's the only way we're really going to get there, making sure we take care of business week after week. We're confident in our team and what we can do and how far we can go. But we have to keep the focus on the moment each week."

The approach has worked brilliantly thus far this season, so there is no need for the AFC-leading Colts to change anything up now.