The Indianapolis Colts weren't supposed to do much this season, but when they got off to a blazing 7-1 start, they turned a lot of heads.

Quarterback Daniel Jones was a big reason why, too. The offense was humming along those first two months, and many were considering them a playoff team — and maybe even a Super Bowl contender.

Jones, who had an up-and-down six-year career with the New York Giants, seemed to have found a new home in Indianapolis. The Colts had the best offense in the league through the first eight weeks.

But the Colts have struggled lately, losing three of four games before their huge road showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars. And they lost more than a game there, too. They lost 36-19 to the Jaguars — and also lost Jone to a suspected torn Achilles that would end his season.

Here's the latest from Colts Roundtable publisher Jake Arthur.

Colts Crushed By Jaguars, But Biggest Loss Was in First Quarter The Indianapolis Colts were blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 36-19, but they lost quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury in the first quarter.

With the loss, the Colts are now 8-5 on the season, and their lead in the AFC South has completely disappeared. Jacksonville now has the division lead with a 9-4 record, and the Houston Texans also won Friday night to raise their record to 8-5. 

If the playoffs started today, the Colts would NOT be in. The Texans currently hold the tiebreaker over them for the seventh and final wild-card spot based on their head-to-head victory in Indianapolis two weeks ago.

Losing Jones is a crusher.

“It could be season-ending,” Colts coach Shane Steichen told reporters after the game. “I don’t have the full details on it, but we’ll get more clarity on that.”

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame in the 2025 NFL Draft, subbed for Jones and likely will take over from here with Jones out. Former first-round pick Anthony Richardson is still on injured reserve with an orbital fracture.

Leonard was 18-for-29 passing for 145 yards. He also threw and interception.

“Obviously, your first thought is to pray for Daniel and hope he’s great because that’s not how you envision getting snaps,” Leonard said. “I always envision myself working and working and developing into a starter — (a role) that I earned.

"Whether I earned it or not is kind of irrelevant. Daniel went down; my turn was up. It’s super unfortunate to see that, but hopefully everything works out.”

The Colts have four games remaining, and have the toughest schedule in the NFL. All four games are against potential playoff teams right now.

Here's what the Colts have left

Dec. 14 (Sun.) — Indianapolis Colts (8-5) at Seattle Seahawks (10-3), 4:25 p.m. ET. TV: CBS. 
Dec. 22 (Mon.) — San Francisco 49ers (9-4) at Indianapolis Colts (8-5), 8:15 p.m. ET. TV: ABC/ESPN
Dec. 28 (Sun.) — Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) at Indianapolis Colts (8-5), 1 p.m. ET. TV: FOX
Jan. 3/4 (Flex) — Indianapolis Colts (8-5) at Houston Texans (8-5), TV: time TBA 

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