The Indianapolis Colts must have felt as if they had no choice. The difference between an injured Daniel Jones and a healthy Riley Leonard was too great to risk. Jones had shown he could be excellent in head coach Shane Steichen's system. Leonard wasn't even very good in preseason games.
To make matters more difficult, Jones was facing a Houston Texans defense that came into the game ranked second in yards allowed per play (4.6), first in quarterback rating allowed (72.2), and fourth in turnovers created (19). A healthier Jones had struggled with turnovers in recent games, too.
Still, Week 13 was the Colts' most important of the season. This had become the case after Indy had lost two of three entering Week 13 while the Jacksonville Jaguars and Texans kept winning. A fairly wide lead in the AFC South had become just a one-game lead over the Jags and two over Houston. Indianapolis needed to do everything possible to get the victory.
Daniel Jones solid for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13 but needed to be great
It didn't. Were the referees a bit of a mess? Sure, but they didn't cost Indianapolis the game. A slow start offensively did. For the first part of the season, Indianapolis would build big leads and ride those to victories. That stopped about a month ago. The Colts were playing catch-up for much of Week 13.
The good part was that Daniel Jones didn't look overly affected by his broken leg. After starting one for five, he completed seven straight, but then completed just six of his last 14. He did have a couple of touchdown passes and no turnovers. Indy lost 20-16 to the Texans, but it wasn't Jones's fault.
Still, his injury does affect what Indy has done for much of the season. The team can no longer use the quarterback to pick up short yardage on third and fourth downs, as Jones cannot push off with his broken fibula. Steichen called for a too-cute sneak by Tyler Warren as Warren was coming in motion, stopped quickly behind center, but the snap was fumbled, and Houston got the stop.
The truth is uglier. Daniel Jones is clearly healthy enough to play and better than the next option for the Indianapolis Colts, but he is also limited, and that limits the offense overall. Indy isn't talented enough defensively, especially if Sauce Gardner (who was injured early in Week 13) has to miss time, to hold up if the offense isn't productive.
The rest of the season is difficult, as the Colts will play the Texans again, the Jacksonville Jaguars (who overtook Indy in Week 13 for the AFC South lead) twice, the Seattle Seahawks, and the San Francisco 49ers. If the offense cannot find a way around Jones's injury, things could get ugly.