Jones struggles to finish drives in loss to Steelers

Jones was disastrously inaccurate in the first half, making even routine catches absurdly difficult for his banged-up receiver room. He also began the game by losing the football after his left tackle was pushed into him, resulting in a fumble. He eventually got the grain on the tracks with back-to-back scoring drives to close the first half. Daniels settled in after the break, though the Colts mostly leaned on Jonathan Taylor, who scored twice, to salt away the game. Jones is averaging a dismal 188.5 yards per game with just three scores to his name. He is barely in the QB2 mix for Indy’s Week 5 game versus the Steelers.

He added three fumbles, two of which were recovered by the Texans on Will Anderson Jr. strip sacks. It wasn’t pretty, and expectations should be held in check for the Colts passing game given the lack of relevant options, but Jones held on to help snap Indianapolis’ nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. His most impressive play was probably a middle-of-field ball to Laquon Treadwell that put the Colts in field-goal range for Spencer Shrader’s go-ahead kick with less than 30 seconds remaining. The Colts have a better matchup next week against the Commanders, but Jones would be tough to trust as more than a bottom-rung superflex QB2.

Jones lost one of his top receivers at the end of the first quarter when Alec Pierce departed with a heel injury. He was largely unable to attack downfield following Pierce’s departure. That would all change on the team’s lone possession of overtime when Jones hit Laquon Treadwell for a 48-yard shot on the first play following a Chiefs field goal, but the team would be unable to punch their ticket to a win while settling for a field goal of their own. The team could be forced to play possession ball moving forward considering the short-area nature of the remaining pass-catchers, pending the status of Pierce. That spells trouble against the vaunted Houston defense in Week 3, where Jones will be a fringe QB2 while potentially down his field-stretching option.

Jones and the Colts got off to a strong start in this one. The Colts came out of the gate attempting seven straight passes, with Jones going 5-for-7 on the drive for 59 yards. Jonathan Taylor would cap the opening drive with a one-yard touchdown to give the Colts an early lead, but Jones and company struggled to get things going after that. He would muster just 29 passing yards for the remainder of the first half and was baited by Ravens LB Roquan Smith into throwing an interception on the Colts’ second possession. Jones would orchestrate a scoring drive early in the fourth quarter, connecting on passes of 14 and 23 yards to Alec Pierce before eventually finding Tyler Warren for a nine-yard score. Things won’t get any easier for Jones and the Colts next week as they travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. Jones shouldn’t be trusted as anything more than a mid to low-end QB2 in that matchup.

Richardson and Riley Leonard will both play, while Daniel Jones will sit. Richardson’s trade request this offseason has gone nowhere, but the Colts appear to be giving him ample opportunity to showcase himself in the preseason as he will get the first half here and the second half next week against Atlanta, while Leonard picks up the other two halves. The Colts are likely hoping someone talks themselves into trading a low pick for Richardson.

Colts coach Shane Steichen did not indicate who will start the game, nor did he rule out QB Daniel Jones (Achilles). Per Erickson, holding Jones out would be unsurprising. Richardson was recently seen working with the third-team offense, so Leonard could have the inside track to start on Thursday.

Arthur said Jones, coming off a December Achilles tear, looks “as if he’d never had major surgery, taking off on full-speed scrambles multiple times. He’s been efficient and accurate, kept the offense in rhythm, and spread the ball around.” This is in line with everything else coming out of Colts camp just eight months after Jones ruptured his Achilles — an injury that often requires a year of recovery. If Jones is able to scramble as much as he did before the injury, he could be one of the best late-round quarterback picks in fantasy this summer. Arthur said Jones has spread the ball around in camp, with Josh Downs and Tyler Warren seeing the bulk of the targets.

Somehow, Daniel Jones returned. Both GM Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen “reported on the quality of his play with a little relief,” though he isn’t quite 100 percent yet. It does sound like he’s trending towards playing Week 1 and should be mobile enough to make the Colts offense work even if he’s not quite as fast as he was before tearing his Achilles. It’s good news for the Colts’ pass-catchers and Jonathan Taylor.

It was reported earlier this month that Jones was “cleared to do everything,” but now we have it straight from the source. After suffering a torn Achilles in Week 14 of last season, Jones has rehabbed and worked his way back to playing shape in time to open camp with the Colts at full strength. Jones had a nice season with the Colts before going down last year, throwing for 3,101-19-8 in 13 games while adding another 45-164-5 on the ground. He was rewarded with a two-year, $88 million contract this offseason and will look to lead the Colts to the playoffs after last year’s team fell short despite starting the season with an 8-2 record. Jones profiles as a fringe QB1/QB2 in fantasy after finishing as a QB1 in six of the 13 games he appeared in last season.

“I’m doing everything. Cleared to do everything,” Jones told Boyd Friday at his youth football camp. “I think it’s just about, at this point, sharpening that.” Jones said that he still thinks about the Achilles during practice reps, adding that he “probably will until you get playing.” Jones continues to appear to be on track for Week 1, although his progress through camp and preseason will be telling. Whether Jones, who signed a two-year, $88 million contract extension with $50 million in guaranteed money prior to the 2025 season, returns to his form shown during the first half of the 2026 season remains to be seen. Considering the injury and lengthy rehab process, fantasy managers could be waiting into the second quarter of the coming season for that chance.