Colts stick with quarterback Daniel Jones after latest loss to Titans: ‘He needs to play better’
Daniel Jones isn’t in danger of losing his starting job just yet. Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen, after the Colts’ 26-20 loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans, confirmed that Jones would remain his starting quarterback despite his struggles this season.
“I think he knows he has to play better,” Steichen said. “I have to coach better. There’s a lot of things, it doesn’t depend on one guy. But we have to do a lot of things better.”
Jones, who returned in time to start this fall after his Achilles injury late last season, hasn’t played well in recent weeks. He completed just 22 of 42 passes for 269 yards with one touchdown and threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss. Although the Colts dominated the first half offensively – the unit rushed for 232 yards while the Indianapolis defense held Tennessee to just 64 yards in the first two quarters – they had to settle for field goals twice despite being in prime position to find the end zone.
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Jones’ first interception came in the red zone in the first quarter after he attempted to force a pass to Josh Downs. While in Jones’ defense, Amani Hooker made a remarkable grab before falling out of bounds.
The second pick also came after a productive drive and resulted in a Titans field goal late in the third quarter. The Titans tied the game on an eight-yard pass from Cam Ward to Carnell Tate in the fourth quarter, then scored two field goals down the stretch to solidify their six-point victory. Jones and the Colts took their chances on fourth down on both drives between field goals and failed to convert each time.
Jones now has five interceptions for three touchdowns this season. The loss, Indianapolis’ second in a row, dropped it to 2-4 on the year. It also ended the Colts’ six-game winning streak against the Titans and gave Tennessee head coach Robert Slaeh his first victory in charge of the team.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” Steichen said via The Athletic’s James Boyd. “We have a lot of things to clean up, and we need to fix them quickly. Turnovers continue to be a problem, and we need to deal with that better… We have a lot of things to clean up and we need to fix them quickly.”
Despite the Colts’ rough start, Jones clearly still has the starting job under control. If Steichen were to bench him, that would likely elevate Anthony Richardson Sr. to the starting role. Richardson, who the Colts selected No. 4 overall in the 2023 draft, made just 15 starts in his first two seasons while dealing with various injuries. Jones won the starting job over him in training camp last year.
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Many expected Richardson to play elsewhere this season after the Colts signed Jones to a two-year contract, but a trade never came to fruition.
Jones has proven himself to be a capable starter in the league. After all, he led the Colts to an 8-2 start last year, and had them in a great position to make the playoffs before his injury.
But so far this season, things haven’t gone well in Indianapolis.
Gn sports
