Sports
Daniel Jones suffers season-ending Achilles injury as Colts fade
Daniel Jones’ season has come to an abrupt end after the Indianapolis Colts quarterback suffered a torn Achilles during Sunday’s 36-19 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The setback is a major blow for a Colts team that had surged to a record-breaking offensive pace through the first half of the campaign but is now fading, with a rookie backup quarterback and a difficult run of games ahead.
Alec Pierce described the moment as devastating for the locker room. “That’s our team leader, our team captain,” the wide receiver said. “It’s brutal.”
Jones went down late in the opening quarter after dropping back to pass on a rain-soaked field. He appeared to plant awkwardly before collapsing and clutching the back of his lower right leg.
Visibly frustrated, he slammed his helmet to the ground as trainers rushed to him. After being examined in the medical tent, he headed to the locker room and was quickly ruled out.
Colts coach Shane Steichen did not officially confirm the diagnosis but made clear the team feared the worst. “It could be season-ending,” he said. When asked to clarify, Steichen added, “It’s not looking good.”
Jones had already been playing through what was believed to be a hairline fracture in his left fibula. Despite the pain and limited mobility in recent weeks, he had continued to start and showed better movement early on in Jacksonville.
Rookie quarterback Riley Leonard replaced Jones, completing 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards in his first meaningful NFL action. He praised Jones for returning to the sideline after the injury to support him.
“Daniel’s the toughest guy that I’ve ever been around, by far, in my life,” Leonard said. He also highlighted Jones’ presence during the game.
“He’s the most competitive person that I’ve ever met,” Leonard added. “So, it’s no surprise that he came back out there. He was the first one to put the rain gear on me, the first one to ask me what I saw on that play and help me out. It’s just exactly who he is, whether he’s playing or not.”
The loss dropped Indianapolis out of the AFC South lead, with Jacksonville moving into first place. The Colts, who started the season 7-1, have now lost four of their past five and face a tough remaining schedule: at Seattle, then home games against San Francisco and Jacksonville, before finishing at Houston. Their playoff position also remains at risk based on other Week 14 results.
Pierce said the team must quickly regroup. “That’ll be the challenge this week. Refocus. That past, there’s nothing we can do. We knew the magnitude of this game. We needed to win this one. But all we can do is focus on the next one.”
Steichen echoed the sentiment. “We’ve got everything we want still in front of us. We’ve got to go,” he said. “So, we’ve got to get this thing cleaned up and get ready for Seattle. We’ve got a big one on the road. That’s the message today.”
