Colts risk everything in final injury report for Week 13 vs. Texans

The Indianapolis Colts haven't been the hunted this late in a season for a while. In the past two years, Indy and the rest of the teams in the AFC South have been chasing the Houston Texans. That could still turn out to be the case in 2025, too.

It will definitely be the case if quarterback Daniel Jones aggravates a fibula that has been reported to be fractured. Jones is playing through the pain, which says a lot about his toughness, but some might wonder if Indianapolis should let him play through it.

The player and the team aren't discussing how bad the break is, of course. They have no obligation to give that information away because an opponent could use it somehow to their advantage. One can assume that while painful, the injury isn't too detrimental. The break could get worse, however.

Daniel Jones will play for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13

The Colts are quite unlikely to have any chance of defeating a Texans team that has won three straight games (and four of five) and is now just two games behind the Colts for first place in the division without Jones. But playing without Jones might make sense to not risk him to further injury in Week 13.

Originally, the team was reporting that Jones had a calf issue before Week 12. Maybe the team didn't know the quarterback had a cracked fibula, though that would be odd. No matter, Jones was clearly affected by the injury against the Kansas City Chiefs as he wasn't using his legs as much as normal.

Indy head coach Shane Steichen, who would not confirm Jones had a fracture and said the team wouldn't risk the QB to further injury, also did not choose to go for it on fourth down as much when given the chance. He probably had little faith that Daniel Jones could push off to pick up short-yardage situations.

The issue is that picking up fourth downs as much as Indianapolis has done has been part of the reason for the team's success.

Jones was listed as a full participant in practice ahead of Week 13, and he will play against the Houston Texans. How much the offense is affected against a great Houston defense remains to be seen.

No other Indianapolis Colts player not already on injured reserve, such as DeForest Buckner, is expected to miss the game due to injury. Maybe Jones should, though. The quarterback pushing through pain is great, but the team might need to protect Jones from himself.