We can end the drama quickly. Will Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts play versus the Houston Texans in Week 13? Yes, he will. The bigger question is, will he? Likely not.
Let's be real: Head coach Shane Steichen is trying to save his job. Sure, he probably won't be going anywhere based on how the team has done through 11 games, but could that greatly change in the final six of the 2025 season? Absolutely.
The Colts are a good team, but the final stretch of the season is no joke. Indy will play the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, but more importantly, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Texans twice each. The team will need a relatively healthy Daniel Jones for all of that, but that won't be the case.
Indianapolis Colts expect quarterback Daniel Jones to play versus the Houston Texans in Week 13
Jones is playing with a fractured fibula (or maybe not, depending on who believes), and is certainly not 100 percent. This could be seen in Week 12 when Indianapolis lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, and Indu didn't go for it on fourth-and-short when they had much more in previous games. Jones also didn't try to scramble as much.
A big issue is that the Texans saw all of that. Houston knows that Daniel Jones is not fully healthy, unless the Colts are attempting to do the greatest rope-a-dope ever, and will try to squeeze Danny Dimes as much as possible. The Texans might focus on running back Jonathan Taylor and use their ability to pressure quarterbacks with their front four to do the rest.
Does that mean Indianapolis can't win? Of course not. Houston will welcome back quarterback CJ Stroud, who is returning from a concussion. He has been good in previous seasons, but in 2025, he has been inconsistent. Plus, the Colts' cornerback group is extremely talented.
While Daniel Jones is not completely healthy, the Indianapolis Colts are at home. The team should know it can rely on Jonathan Taylor to run well and create a couple of explosive plays. That might be all that is needed to get Indy to 9-3 and three games better than the Texans.