After being dominated by the Jacksonville Jaguars and benched in the fourth quarter last week, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones desperately needed a bounce-back game in Week 9. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t able to deliver the performance the Colts needed as Indianapolis lost 27-23 to the Cowboys.
The Colts have had issues in multiple areas, and Jones shouldn’t be the only one blamed for the team’s struggles this year. But the loss to Dallas was a winnable game that could’ve ended differently if Jones had been just average.
A fifth straight loss for Indianapolis is yet another sign that Jones is not the answer and that it may be time for the Colts to figure out a path forward without him. Jones has given Indianapolis no reason to trust him, and plenty of reasons why he’s not fit to be their franchise QB.
3 undeniable reasons why Daniel Jones’ time with the Indianapolis Colts is up
1. Holding the offense back
The Indianapolis offense has been terrible this year — bottom 10 in the league in both points and yards. Jones is a big reason why. His reliance on almost exclusively short throws while also still being horribly inaccurate puts the Colts at a significant disadvantage in most games.
In Week 9, Jones threw for 180 yards at 5.3 yards per attempt with a 58.8% completion rate. Those are not winning numbers.
Against the Cowboys, Indianapolis needed a whole lot of help just to cross the 20-point mark. The Colts were blessed with good field position after a Dallas fumble and a good kick return, with both drives ending in scores.
They also got a huge boost from Ashton Dulin’s 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown and multiple 50+ yard field goals from Spencer Shrader, including a new career-long. An offense with a competent QB wouldn’t need all of that help to only scrape together 23 points.
2. Can’t be trusted in critical moments
Late in the game, needing a touchdown to win, the Colts turned to Jones to lead the offense down the field. Instead, Jones’ failed game-winning drive perfectly encapsulated all of his flaws. His inability to handle pressure, inaccuracy, and poor decision-making were all on full display.
On the drive’s first play, Jones felt the pass rush and threw the ball away while still in the pocket, leading to an intentional grounding penalty. Then, 22 yards away from a first down, Jones overthrew Tyler Warren. Finally, Jones’ last pass floated into the middle of the field and was easily intercepted.
Indianapolis trusted Jones to step up and give the Colts a chance to win the game. The result was a foul, an incompletion, and an interception that ended the game.
3. Playing the worst football of his career
Before the 2026 season began, the big question was whether and how quickly Jones could return to last year’s form after recovering from an Achilles injury. Nine weeks in, the 2025 campaign feels like a distant memory. Jones is on pace for the worst statistical season of his career, including his unfortunate tenure with the New York Giants.
So far, Jones’ completion percentage, passer rating, and QBR are all career-lows. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is also a career-worst, excluding his injury-shortened 2023 season. On top of that, Jones has shown no signs of improvement since Week 1, giving the Colts little confidence that he can turn his season around.
Add us as a preferred source on Google