Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts have lost two of their last three games, with their most recent loss coming against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime after surrendering an 11-point 4th quarter lead.
Most notably, Indy’s highly efficient offense has simmered down over the past month or so, culminating in a collective collapse across the 4th quarter/overtime periods in Week 12, where head coach Shane Steichen’s Colts offense laid an egg to the tune of four consecutive three-and-outs.
Amidst the offense’s historic start to the season, quarterback Daniel Jones had showcased a newfound ability against the blitz, an area he otherwise struggled over his first six years in the league.
Entering the season, Jones was a career 61.9% thrower (466-758) with a career 59.9 QBR against the blitz, and a brutal 49.8% passer (384-771) under all pressure. It was the biggest reason I, like many others, was skeptical of this experiment altogether. Despite this, my tune was quickly changed, or at least challenged, as Jones came swinging in his first eight games as the Colts’ starting quarterback.
Here are Daniel Jones’ 2025-26 splits against the blitz, an on-the-surface comparison of his dominant start and his recent regression of sorts, per Pro Football Focus:
Weeks 1-8: 63-99 (63.6%), 869 passing yards (8.8 YPA), 6 TDs, 0 INTs; 4.3% pressure-to-sack rate (1st), 93.4 QBR (2nd)
Weeks 9-12: 24-41 (58.5%), 296 passing yards (7.2 YPA), 1 TD, 1 INT; 27.3% pressure-to-sack rate (23rd), 31 QBR (22nd)
Some have fairly questioned if this apparent regression to the mean is a product of weaker defensive competition, or if it’s due to Indy’s offense being figured out. The offensive line’s recent shortcomings may also seem more apparent than they had been, given the recent uptick in sacks taken (6 sacks taken in Weeks 1-7; 15 sacks taken in Weeks 8-12); however, defenses had been coming at Jones via the blitz early and often throughout the first eight weeks, only recently has it become an issue.
The lingering concern amongst Colts fans and media alike is that Daniel Jones popped up on the practice report last Wednesday with a calf injury designation, before ultimately being deemed a fibula injury after the following practice. During the game against the Chiefs, however, legitimate nagging appeared evident. Pure speculation, but a lack of typical rollouts in the pass game, or QB sneaks in the run game, raised questions that Steichen answered.
“There’s no limitations with him right now,” Steichen said about playcalling re: Daniel Jones due to his fibula injury. “So, we go through our weekly game plan process, and we go from there.”
Even though the majority of the blame will be or has been placed on Daniel Jones and/or Shane Steichen for Indy’s brutal gift of a loss to Kansas City, the rest of the offense was visibly frustrated following the loss, with each person mentioning how execution was lacking and that, at the end of the day, it falls on the players. Of course, Coach Steichen, as he does, made sure to mention a similar sentiment regarding himself as the team’s offensive playcaller. Props must be given to Steve Spagnuolo and his Chiefs defense for locking in when it mattered most, but on the flip side, Indy’s top-tier offense cannot afford to lose its identity this deep into the season.
The Indianapolis Colts released their practice report today, an estimate given that the team elected to have a walkthrough rather than a typical practice, and Daniel Jones was projected to be limited in action with the same fibula designation. Head coach Shane Steichen maintained that Jones will be “good to go” against the Houston Texans this Sunday.
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