Daniel Jones can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now.
The Colts quarterback will remain the starter in Indianapolis for Week 9 against the lowly Cowboys, head coach Shane Steichen told reporters Monday. The decision comes less than 24 hours after Indy’s coach opened the door to the possibility of making a change at QB after the Colts were blown out by the Jaguars in a 42-7 loss.
“Evaluating the tape, looking back at it, some things he could do better, some things we need to help him move forward,” Steichen said, according to ESPN. “But I think Daniel gives us the best chance to win right now.”
Expanding on his thought process on the need to stick with Jones, Steichen suggested it cost the Colts games more than how Jones was playing.
“Obviously the quarterback is taking the brunt of this,” Steichen said. “As we know, that’s what the quarterback signs up for. And it’s not all about him, right? It’s everything. It’s all encompassing. It’s got to be everyone doing their job, being on the same page, the route discipline, the route details, the blocking, the protections – all those things tie into it.”
Jones completed 19 of 28 passes for 144 yards in the loss to the Jags and threw two picks, bringing his season total to nine.
The Colts finally called on Anthony Richardson Sr. to end the game in the fourth quarter, already down 35.
Richardson had expressed support for Jones after Sunday’s loss, telling reporters he had “all my support, I support him 1,000 percent.”
“It’s tough to play quarterback in this league, it’s tough to play quarterback in general,” Richardson continued. “When the spotlight is on you like that, you just have to keep your head down and keep working.”
Jones was re-signed by the Colts during the offseason after a record-breaking 2025 season cut short by an Achilles injury.
In 2026, Jones has totaled 1,542 yards, five touchdowns and nine interceptions.
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