JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Daniel Jones was the driving force behind the Indianapolis Colts’ explosive offense for the first half of the season. Now, with the team stumbling toward the finish, he’ll be forced to watch from the sidelines.
The Colts quarterback, whose play had Indianapolis on pace for historic offensive numbers through the first eight weeks, suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in the opening quarter of Sunday’s 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, sources told ESPN. Surgery is upcoming.
The devastating injury, combined with the defeat, leaves Indianapolis staring at a grim reality: a rookie backup at quarterback, a brutal remaining schedule, and fading playoff chances.
“That’s our leader, our captain,” wide receiver Alec Pierce said. “It’s crushing.”
Late in the first quarter on a soggy EverBank Stadium turf, Daniel Jones dropped back, planted awkwardly while throwing, and instantly crumpled to the ground, clutching the back of his right lower leg. In obvious pain and frustration, he slammed his helmet down as trainers rushed to him.
After a quick check in the medical tent, Jones limped to the locker room and was immediately ruled out.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen stopped short of confirming an Achilles tear postgame but was grim: “It could be season-ending… It’s not looking good.”
Remarkably, Jones had already been playing through a hairline fracture in his left fibula — the opposite leg — that had noticeably restricted his movement in recent weeks. On Sunday he had looked noticeably sharper early on before disaster struck.
“Daniel is, without question, the toughest person I’ve ever been around,” said rookie backup Riley Leonard, who replaced him. “He’s also the most competitive guy I’ve ever met.”
Despite the injury, Jones returned to the sideline in street clothes and spent the rest of the game coaching Leonard, pulling the rain jacket over him and breaking down reads.
“He was the first one helping me, asking what I saw, calming me down,” Leonard said. “That’s just who he is.”
The Colts, meanwhile, are in free fall. Sunday’s loss dropped them out of sole possession of the AFC South lead; Jacksonville now sits alone atop the division. Indianapolis has lost four of its last five and faces a murderous closing stretch: at Seattle, home vs. San Francisco and Jacksonville, then at Houston.
After a 7-1 start, the Colts’ playoff grip is slipping and could vanish completely depending on the outcome of Houston’s game Sunday night and the Chargers’ on Monday.
“We knew how big this game was,” receiver Alec Pierce said. “But it’s over. All we can do is flush it and attack Seattle.”
Steichen echoed the sentiment: “Everything we want is still in front of us. We’ve got to clean it up and go.”
PFT was first to report the torn Achilles.
