PITTSBURGH (AP) — Daniel Jones has spent the first half of his first season in Indianapolis rewriting the narrative around his career.
The story, however, is far from finished. Three miserable hours during
a 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday offered tangible and relentless proof that for all of Jones' progress, he remains in many ways very much a work in progress.
Three picks. Two fumbles. Shaky decision-making. All the bad habits that Jones seemed to have left in New York resurfaced in a performance the AFC South-leading Colts believe is a one-off, not a trend.
“We're sure of who we are,” Jones said after the Colts fell to 7-2. “We understand if you turn the ball over, that's going to happen. When we're protecting (it), things have gone well for us.”
And they have. Indianapolis walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf having committed just four turnovers on the season. They gave it away six times in all against the Steelers, who turned four of the miscues into 24 points.
The deluge started early when a Pittsburgh punt deflected off Indianapolis returner Josh Downs and Steelers defensive back Brandin Echols grabbed it. The Indianapolis defense held, however, stuffing Pittsburgh on fourth-and-goal.
The reprieve was temporary. The game turned for good in the second quarter, when Colts right tackle Braden Smith whiffed while trying to block Pittsburgh All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who swooped in and knocked the ball out of Jones' hands before falling on it.
The Steelers scored on the ensuing drive to tie it, then went ahead for good less than two minutes later after Jones threw the first of his three interceptions, a short pass over the middle that went right to Pittsburgh linebacker Payton Wilson.
Two plays later, Aaron Rodgers found Pat Freiermuth for a 12-yard score, and the NFL's highest-scoring offense was suddenly in catch-up mode, a place it had rarely been during the club's remarkable start.
The Colts never got there. Two more Jones interceptions, both off passes batted into the air, and another fumble while being sacked evoked memories of Jones' uncertain play in New York, where he arrived in 2019 as a top-10 pick and left last spring after six mostly forgettable seasons.
Jones' teammates and coaches, however, rose to his defense on a day he completed 31 of 50 for 342 yards with a touchdown both rushing and passing.
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Jones “did good” while facing a pass rush that reclaimed some of its menace after being held in check during losses to Green Bay and Cincinnati.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman put the onus on the skill position players for not getting open fast enough to bail out their quarterback.
“We have to figure out ways to speed it up against guys like that," Pittman said.
Getting Jonathan Taylor more involved might have helped. The NFL's leading rusher was held to a season-low 45 yards on 14 carries, including just eight carries for 23 yards during the first half when Jones let it fly 20 times against a banged-up secondary that began the weekend last in the league against the pass.
“Could I have got some more carries in there for him? Probably,” Steichen said. “I thought they did some good things, stopped the run early.”
Watt didn't blame Jones for trying to test a secondary down three safeties. Pittsburgh was forced to start Kyle Dugger just three days after the veteran was acquired in a trade with New England. Considering the circumstances, Watt might have chucked the ball around, too.
“They wanted to pass,” Watt said. “I mean, take that as a shot if you may. But I’m glad we were able to capitalize on it.”
The challenge for Indianapolis will be not letting one poor performance bleed into another. The Colts have been one of the league's biggest surprises, thanks in large part to Jones' renaissance. They don't think four shaky quarters should overshadow two months of dynamic playmaking.
“I think we got mature guys in the room,” Jones said. “We'll certainly be eager to correct the things we didn't do as well. But as far as our confidence level or who we believe we are as a team, we're sure of that.”
The Colts will take a long flight to Berlin, Germany, later this week ahead of an international meeting with Atlanta. A welcome week off follows, before a stretch run that will carry far higher stakes than anyone outside of Indianapolis imagined when the season began.
“We just have to move on and keep playing,” tight end Tyler Warren said. “It’s a long season. We still have a lot to prove.”
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