Adversity… we all knew it would be here at some point this season. The NFL has too much talent and skill across the league not to show up. This past month has been difficult, but now the Colts will have to deal with it like never before. The Colts have lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a non-contact Achilles tear. Jones will undergo the season-ending surgery sometime this week.
The postgame locker room scene was reportedly like a horror film. Just absolutely gutted to lose their leader and brother on the field. The injury took the air out of the balloon, but make no mistake, it was not the only reason they lost. Let’s dive into this week’s recap as the Colts drop another game in Jacksonville.
Daniel Jones Injury
As mentioned above, Daniel Jones has a (confirmed) rupture of his right Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the season. His day started poorly with another head-shaking interception on his first throw. The next series disaster hit with the injury: a non-contact Achilles injury will keep Jones on the sideline for the remainder of this season. Rookie 6th-round pick Riley Leonard replaced him. He has plenty of reasons to melt down and fail. While he didn’t blow you away, he was fine and showed his competitiveness.
The weather and downpours made things even more difficult for Leonard. Anytime the rookie backup has to come in and save the day, it’s a concern. Jacksonville had the momentum after the Jones interception, and Leonard was never able to grab it back. Leonard finished 18/29 with 145 yards and one interception.
More Blame To Go Around
The loss this week is hardly just due to the deflation of the Daniel Jones injury. Was that a contributing factor? Absolutely, but this poor defensive performance would not have survived even the greatness of the Colts’ offense this season. The Colts’ defense was able to make some stops yesterday, but really struggled on deep ball protection and on 3rd down. Jacksonville was 7-15 on 3rd down, and their trio of star receivers accounted for 207 of the 247 receiving yards.
The defense was improved in the second half, but there was a sense that Jacksonville took its foot off the gas a bit. The same explosive plays that the Colts had improved at stopping this season were unable to stop this week. And worst of all, the pass rush was non-existent. Zero sacks and zero QB hits from this unit.
Looking Ahead To The Final Stretch
December football is here, and the Colts are playing the worst football of this season. After a 7-1 start, they have lost 4 of 5 and sit at 8-5 on the season. In a matter of a month, they have gone from the (arguably) best team in the league to now being on the bubble to make the playoffs.
The Colts’ next four games are not only their most difficult stretch but will be critical to their future, so much in the balance now after the Jones injury and the Anthony Richardson absence. This means, barring an unforeseen signing, that the football team will rely on rookie Riley Leonard.
A rookie who is more effective with his legs than he is with his arm. We have seen this story play out before with that type of quarterback in this Steichen scheme. The results were not great, and part of that was on Richardson as well. How Steichen changes the scheme to adapt to a new, inexperienced quarterback will be fascinating to watch.
Indianapolis travels cross-country to Seattle this week. For the first time this season, Indianapolis will be a double-digit underdog to an opponent. Seattle has been one of the most impressive teams in the league, and the Colts will have their hands full again this week. Look for Seattle to stack the box and force the Colts to make Riley Leonard throw the football.
Seattle will lean heavily on Jaxson Smith-Njigba as a key matchup against this weak Colts secondary, especially if Sauce Gardner continues to miss time. Every game coming in for Indianapolis is a must-win now. Any team can win on any given Sunday, but this will be a stiff test for this Indianapolis Colts football team that is spiraling out of control.
