Colts’ Daniel Jones officially out for the season
The Indianapolis Colts took a massive blow after quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Sunday’s 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The injury occurred late in the first quarter after he took an awkward step as he delivered a pass. Jones immediately fell to the ground and grabbed the back of his right ankle.
He had already played through a reported hairline fracture in his left fibula in the previous two games. Jones was putting together a promising season that had him in position to secure another deal with the Colts next offseason.
At the time of the injury, he ranks seventh with 3,101 passing yards, 12th with 19 passing touchdowns, and ninth with a 64.1 quarterback rating.Riley Leonard stepped in relief, completing 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards.
Leonard appeared headed toward starting in Week 15, but head coach Shane Steichen revealed on Monday that the rookie sixth-round pick suffered a knee injury.
It has pushed the Colts to bring in longtime quarterback Philip Rivers to fill the void. Rivers last played in the 2020 season with the Colts, which was his lone campaign where he led them to the playoffs behind an 11-5 record.
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He finished that season with 4,169 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes, and a 68.0 percent completion rate. The Colts are in desperation mode, looking to keep their playoff aspirations alive.
Indianapolis lost its position atop the AFC South lead after dropping four out of its last five games. Rivers will have to navigate through a tough final stretch of the season with matchups against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jaguars, and Houston Texans.
