The Indianapolis Colts didn't suffer the meltdown that everyone might have thought would happen. The defense wasn't great in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the unit wasn't the entire reason Indy lost. Instead, the offense was the issue.
Quarterback Daniel Jones had his worst day since signing with Indianapolis this past offseason. His raw statistics were not all terrible as he threw for a season-high 342 yards, but he did so while throwing 16 more times than in any other game this year.
He also completed a season-low 62 percent of his passes, was sacked a season-high five times, and tossed a season-high three interceptions. Jones also fumbled twice. Five turnovers are never a good thing from an entire team, but from one player can be crippling.
Daniel Jones sums up what all Indianapolis Colts fans were thinking during Week 9
Not all of the quarterback's errors were his fault. He was under duress far more than in any other game in 2025. The pocket around him crumbled, and even star running back Jonathan Taylor had no place to go. The Steelers dominated when they needed to.
After the game, when speaking to the media, Daniel Jones summed up what all Colts fans were thinking: Things were ugly from the second quarter on. After all, Indy led 7-0 with the ball after the first quarter, and things appeared to be trending toward nearly every other Indianapolis game this year: A win.
Instead, an implosion occurred. Hopefully, for the only and last time this season.
Jones said, "I gotta protect the ball better and make sure we're giving ourselves a chance. I thought we did some good things at times, but just, you know, turnovers and some of those things, I gotta clean up, make sure we're not hurting ourselves."
To be fair to Daniel Jones, entering Week 9, the quarterback had only thrown three interceptions this season and had two fumbles. He doubled both against the Steelers. Maybe this will be an example of one-game awfulness, and Jones will revert to how he was playing through most of the first eight games.
His offensive line was terrible overall, and he faced 18 pressures versus Pittsburgh, by far the highest of his season. The problem might be longer-lasting than Colts fans hope, however. Through the first seven games, the highest pressure-to-sack rate Jones had was 12.5 percent in Week 1. In the last two weeks, Jones had a rate of 33.3 percent in Week 8 and 27.8 percent in Week 9.
Jones simply needs to have better ball control when the pocket crumbles. If the Indianapolis Colts' offensive line is beginning to diminish a bit, Daniel Jones will need to find a way to be better. Otherwise, Indy's hot start will all be for naught.