Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn right Achilles tendon, multiple outlets reported on Sunday night.
Jones was injured during the final minute of the first quarter of Sunday’s 36-19 loss to the host Jacksonville Jaguars.
Colts coach Shane Steichen didn’t have full details when addressing reporters shortly after the contest but allowed it might be a season-ending injury.
“It’s obviously a tough situation when your starting quarterback goes down with an Achilles,” Steichen said. “… Any time you lose a guy that puts in so much work and so much effort, and is always there for his team and showing up with a fibula injury and goes out there and frickin’ plays. Just have so much respect for him.”
Jones crumbled to the ground with a non-contact injury as he delivered a pass on a third-down dropback. He slammed his helmet to the ground while being evaluated on the field and limped to the locker room under his own power.
The injury comes at a time in which the Colts (8-5) have dropped four of their past five games to fall behind the Jaguars (9-4) in the AFC South.
“That was definitely a gut punch,” Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said. “We’ve got to catch ourselves. You’ve got to find some way, somehow, to catch yourself. You’re going into a free-fall, whatever it takes, individually and collectively, to put your foot down … to say we’re not going to continue to let this snowball.”
Rookie Riley Leonard replaced Jones and completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards and one interception. The sixth-round pick also rushed for a score.
In his lone previous appearance, Leonard, 23, threw two incomplete passes and rushed for 1 yard against Tennessee on Oct. 26.
Jones, 28, is in his first season with the Colts after playing 5 1/2 seasons with the New York Giants and part of last season with the Minnesota Vikings. He was the No. 6 overall pick by New York in the 2019 draft.
Jones had passed for 3,101 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions for Indianapolis. He has reportedly been playing through a fractured left fibula.
The Colts have journeyman Brett Rypien on the practice squad and also have injured Anthony Richardson (eye). Richardson was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft but endured turbulent times in his development and performances, prompting Indianapolis to bring in Jones.
Richardson broke the orbital bone during pregame warmups in Week 6 and could soon be cleared to resume football workouts.
–Field Level Media
