The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had much injury luck lately, but that may be changing this week. Quarterback Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts turned up on the Colts’ injury report yesterday with a calf issue, and that could be a big deal for the Chiefs defense.
Jones is a running threat when plays start to break down, and sometimes he’ll take off well before that begins to happen. It’s an essential part of the quarterback’s game, and Jones is athletic enough to cover a lot of ground in a hurry when he gets loose.
His talent as a runner also helps mask Jones’ occasional passing inconsistencies. When the Indy quarterback gets hot he can be as accurate as anyone in the game, but bad things begin to happen when Jones starts to force plays that aren’t really there.
Jones’ numbers to date have been more impressive than usual. Jones has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,659 yards to go with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. But that interception number has been creeping up, and so have the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, with both teams looking to challenge the 8-2 Colts for the AFC South lead.
The Chiefs are undoubtedly aware that the Colts are also very thin at quarterback right now. Failed top draft pick Anthony Richardson is on injured reserve right now after suffering an orbital fracture in a freak pregame incident, according to Simmons, which leaves rookie Riley Leonard, a sixth-round draft pick, as the lone backup.
Veteran quarterback Brett Rypien is on the Colts practice squad, and the decision to activate him could indicate whether this injury is real or phantom. The Colts are coming off their bye after beating the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, 31-25, so there's real no way to know if this injury is real until Jones starts to take snaps.
If the Colts QB really is limited, the normal inclination would be to expect Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to bring more pressure. But Chiefs fans were expecting that against the Broncos last week with running back J.K. Dobbins out, and Spagnuolo’s calls were strangely passive until the fourth quarter of Kansas City’s narrow 22-19 loss in Denver.
Other Colts on the injury report including defensive end Tyquan Lewis, who was upgraded from a non-participant to limited as he continues to deal with a groin injury. Defensive end Samson Ebukam (knee) remained limited.
Finally, linebacker Jaylon Carlies (ankle), cornerback Charvarius Ward (concussion) and receiver Anthony Gould (knee) all remained full participants after previously appearing on the injury list.