The Colts have lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones for the rest of the season.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the first half of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
It was a non-contact injury. As the source put it, Jones and the Colts knew immediately that it was torn. Jones nevertheless walked to the locker room after the injury occurred.
The injury thrust Riley Leonard into the starting job. Tight end Tyler Warren became the emergency option.
The Colts lost, 36-19, falling to 8-5. They’ve now lost four of five and risk slipping out of the playoff picture. They’d be the sixth team since the merger to miss the playoffs after starting 7-1 or better, and the first to fail to qualify since the playoff field was expanded to seven teams per conference.
After looking like the AFC South favorites all season, the Colts are now in serious trouble after a disastrous day in Jacksonville.
The Colts lost to the Jaguars 36-19, but that wasn’t the biggest loss they suffered: They also lost quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury that will likely end his season, and now they’re stuck with rookie Riley Leonard down the stretch.
After starting the season 7-1, the Colts are now 8-5, and without Jones it’s easy to envision them losing all four of their remaining games, which are against the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars again and Texans. This team, which once looked like a Super Bowl contender, could easily finish 8-9 and out of the playoffs.
The Jaguars are now 9-4, and they’re the clear favorites in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence turned in a solid game today, completing 17 of 30 passes for 244 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Jaguars need Lawrence to keep playing like that down the stretch.
If he does, we’ll likely see a playoff game in Jacksonville in January. While the Colts can only watch and wonder what might have been.
The Colts have lost quarterback Daniel Jones for the day due to an Achilles injury. The backup, rookie Riley Leonard, has taken over.
So who’s behind Leonard?
As explained by CBS during the Colts-Jaguars broadcast, the next man up would be rookie tight end Tyler Warren.
Warren was a high-school quarterback. He played the position from time to time at Penn State, and he has taken some snaps at the position in his rookie year.
The Colts have Brett Rypien on the practice squad. Only players on the active, 53-man roster can serve as the emergency third quarterback.
Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, is on injured reserve. Earlier this week, coach Shane Steichen said Richardson still hasn’t been cleared after suffering an orbital fracture during a freak accident in the locker room prior to the October 12 game against the Cardinals.
The Colts will need to add a quarterback, if Jones’s Achilles injury impacts him beyond today.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones suffered what looked like a serious lower leg injury in the first quarter of today’s game in Jacksonville.
Jones, who was playing through a fracture in his left leg, dropped back to pass and fell down without anyone touching him. On the ground he grabbed his right ankle near the Achilles tendon and shook his head as if he believed he had just suffered a bad injury.
After a break, Jones was able to walk to the locker room under his own power, rather than getting carted off the field. The Colts announced that he is out for the game with an Achilles injury.
It’s been a comeback season for Jones, who signed a one-year contract with the Colts in the offseason and has been playing some of his best football this season. He looked poised to sign a lucrative contract in 2026, but this injury may change that.
Rookie sixth-round draft pick Riley Leonard is now the only quarterback available to the Colts, so he’ll take the helm for the rest of the game.
Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd is continuing to have a big impact in Jacksonville this season.
Lloyd intercepted Colts quarterback Daniel Jones’ first pass of the game today, giving Lloyd his fifth interception of the season.
From there, the Jaguars gained 21 yards in four plays, with the last play being a three-year touchdown run by Travis Etienne.
The Jaguars lead 7-0 in a game that will determine first place in the AFC South.
