QB Daniel Jones, running back Jonathan Taylor have Indy off to surprising 3-0 start

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The list of accomplishments just keeps expanding for the Indianapolis Colts after three games.

They're off to their best start since 2009, lead the AFC South and have their highest point total (103) through three weeks since moving to Indy in 1984.

Quarterback Daniel Jones has as many wins in his first three starts with the team as he did over the last two seasons with the New York Giants — and still has not been intercepted. Jonathan Taylor's 338 yards rushing are the franchise's highest three-week rushing total since 1970, and he now has three TD runs in back-to-back games against Tennessee.

Surprised?

“We’re doing stuff I’ve never seen before, and we’ve never felt like this,” sixth-year receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said after his second TD catch in three weeks during Sunday's 41-20 victory. “We’ve just got to keep on doing it. We’ve got to keep that confidence up, but we've also got to keep the work up."

Indy might be the most unlikely of the league's six unbeaten teams, but the question is can they keep playing this well?

Why not? They're following a traditional winning combination — running the ball effectively, throwing the ball efficiently and winning the turnover battle with a group of mostly proven veterans.

Jones looks more like the player the Giants thought he was when they signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract three years ago than the one they released last year.

Taylor is playing more like the 2021 NFL rushing champion as Sunday's game-changing, tackle-breaking 46-yard TD run demonstrated.

Pittman has reverted more to his expected form after trying to play through a back injury last season and rookie tight end Tyler Warren has given Indy the over-the-middle threat it's lacked for years. Defensively, the Colts have allowed the seventh-lowest point total, 56 entering Monday, and Indy has only punted once all season while playing in a division with two winless teams, Houston and Tennessee.

It's given the Colts their best start since 2009 and each week they'll have a chance to prove it's no fluke. And with everyone including Jones, who signed a one-year contract with the Colts in March, motivated to prove themselves all over again, the Colts know what must be done.

“Every time we step out there, every time we get the ball, we expect to execute and go down the field and score. So no, I don’t think the expectation changes,” Jones said. “There are still things we've got to clean up and work on. I think we still had some missed opportunities."

Taylor and Pittman. While a healthy Taylor got his career back on track last season, Pittman's 2024 numbers were his least productive season since his rookie season. Now, for the first time since 2021, both are operating at full throttle, and the difference is becoming increasingly evident.

Finding a secondary rusher. Taylor doesn't just lead the league in rushing, he also has a league-high 60 carries. That puts him on pace for a career-high 340. While Taylor is more than capable of being that type of workhorse back, finding someone to lighten the load slightly should be a priority in future weeks.

TE Tyler Warren. On a day the rookie caught only three passes for 38 yards, his biggest impact came as the lead blocker on Taylor's long scoring run. Steichen calls Warren a throwback type of player, and he's demonstrated that in multiple ways each of the first three weeks. He also has a team-high 14 receptions.

WR Josh Downs. It's not that Downs has done anything wrong, but for the second time in three games the usually busy slot receiver has been targeted only three times. He caught two passes for 34 yards but has only 10 catches for 97 yards this seasons.

The Colts had two Pro Bowl CBs unable to finish Sunday's game. Kenny Moore II started with an interception return for a TD on the game's third play but eventually left with a calf injury. And CB Charvarius Ward, who cleared the concussion protocol last week, left in the second half with an undisclosed injury. WR Alec Pierce also left with a concussion.

29 — The Colts have scored at least 29 points in each of their first three games for the first time since 1969.

The Colts visit the Rams seeking their first win in Los Angeles since 2009, which also happens to be the previous time Indy was 4-0.

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Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (5) makes a catch for a touchdown under Indianapolis Colts linebacker Austin Ajiake (58) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Indianapolis Colts safety Camryn Bynum (0) celebrates following an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs in for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans safety Quandre Diggs (28) runs past Tennessee Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route.

In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It's a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it's resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.

Their journey began Oct. 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington, D.C., where they will ask Congress to recognize Buddha’s day of birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday. Beyond promoting peace, their highest priority is connecting with people along the way.

“My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace,” said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader who is making the trek barefoot. He teaches about mindfulness, forgiveness and healing at every stop.

Preferring to sleep each night in tents pitched outdoors, the monks have been surprised to see their message transcend ideologies, drawing huge crowds into churchyards, city halls and town squares across six states. Documenting their journey on social media, they — and their dog, Aloka — have racked up millions of followers online. On Saturday, thousands thronged in Columbia, South Carolina, where the monks chanted on the steps of the State House and received a proclamation from the city's mayor, Daniel Rickenmann.

At their stop Thursday in Saluda, South Carolina, Audrie Pearce joined the crowd lining Main Street. She had driven four hours from her village of Little River, and teared up as Pannakara handed her a flower.

“There’s something traumatic and heart-wrenching happening in our country every day,” said Pearce, who describes herself as spiritual, but not religious. “I looked into their eyes and I saw peace. They’re putting their bodies through such physical torture and yet they radiate peace.”

Hailing from Theravada Buddhist monasteries across the globe, the 19 monks began their 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometer) trek at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.

Their journey has not been without peril. On Nov. 19, as the monks were walking along U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, their escort vehicle was hit by a distracted truck driver, injuring two monks. One of them lost his leg, reducing the group to 18.

This is Pannakara's first trek in the U.S., but he's walked across several South Asian countries, including a 112-day journey across India in 2022 where he first encountered Aloka, an Indian Pariah dog whose name means divine light in Sanskrit.

Then a stray, the dog followed him and other monks from Kolkata in eastern India all the way to the Nepal border. At one point, he fell critically ill and Pannakara scooped him up in his arms and cared for him until he recovered. Now, Aloka inspires him to keep going when he feels like giving up.

“I named him light because I want him to find the light of wisdom,” Pannakara said.

The monk's feet are now heavily bandaged because he's stepped on rocks, nails and glass along the way. His practice of mindfulness keeps him joyful despite the pain from these injuries, he said.

Still, traversing the southeast United States has presented unique challenges, and pounding pavement day after day has been brutal.

“In India, we can do shortcuts through paddy fields and farms, but we can’t do that here because there are a lot of private properties,” Pannakara said. “But what’s made it beautiful is how people have welcomed and hosted us in spite of not knowing who we are and what we believe.”

In Opelika, Alabama, the Rev. Patrick Hitchman-Craig hosted the monks on Christmas night at his United Methodist congregation.

He expected to see a small crowd, but about 1,000 people showed up, creating the feel of a block party. The monks seemed like the Magi, he said, appearing on Christ’s birthday.

“Anyone who is working for peace in the world in a way that is public and sacrificial is standing close to the heart of Jesus, whether or not they share our tradition,” said Hitchman-Craig. “I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of who showed up.”

After their night on the church lawn, the monks arrived the next afternoon at the Collins Farm in Cusseta, Alabama. Judy Collins Allen, whose father and brother run the farm, said about 200 people came to meet the monks — the biggest gathering she’s ever witnessed there.

“There was a calm, warmth and sense of community among people who had not met each other before and that was so special,” she said.

Long Si Dong, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth temple, said the monks, when they arrive in Washington, plan to seek recognition of Vesak, the day which marks the birth and enlightenment of the Buddha, as a national holiday.

“Doing so would acknowledge Vesak as a day of reflection, compassion and unity for all people regardless of faith,” he said.

But Pannakara emphasized that their main goal is to help people achieve peace in their lives. The trek is also a separate endeavor from a $200 million campaign to build towering monuments on the temple’s 14-acre property to house the Buddha’s teachings engraved in stone, according to Dong.

The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha himself as core for attaining enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection — observing breath and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering. Some of the monks, including Pannakara, walk barefoot to feel the ground directly and be present in the moment.

Pannakara has told the gathered crowds that they don't aim to convert people to Buddhism.

Brooke Schedneck, professor of religion at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, said the tradition of a peace walk in Theravada Buddhism began in the 1990s when the Venerable Maha Ghosananda, a Cambodian monk, led marches across war-torn areas riddled with landmines to foster national healing after civil war and genocide in his country.

“These walks really inspire people and inspire faith,” Schedneck said. “The core intention is to have others watch and be inspired, not so much through words, but through how they are willing to make this sacrifice by walking and being visible.”

On Thursday, Becki Gable drove nearly 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) from Cullman, Alabama, to catch up with them in Saluda. Raised Methodist, Gable said she wanted some release from the pain of losing her daughter and parents.

“I just felt in my heart that this would help me have peace,” she said. “Maybe I could move a little bit forward in my life.”

Gable says she has already taken one of Pannakara’s teachings to heart. She’s promised herself that each morning, as soon as she awakes, she’d take a piece of paper and write five words on it, just as the monk prescribed.

“Today is my peaceful day.”

Freelance photojournalist Allison Joyce contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," get lunch Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Aloka rests with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A sign is seen greeting the Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Supporters pray with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Supporters watch Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

A Buddhist monk ties a prayer bracelet around the wrist of Josey Lee, 2-months-old, during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara leads other buddhist monks in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Audrie Pearce greets Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," arrive in Saluda, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," are seen with their dog, Aloka, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)