ESPN’s Ben Solak identified a potential pitfall that Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts will have to overcome during the 2026 season.
Through 10 games last season, Jones was among the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL, while the offense as a whole was one of the more high-scoring units.
Things, however, unraveled quickly following Jones’ season-ending Achilles injury. But what Solak pointed out was that defenses seemed to be figuring out the Colts’ offense even before that Week 14 game in Jacksonville.
So what changed?
“Opposing defenses got better at pressuring Jones into bad decisions even before his injury,” Solak wrote. “Increasing pressure has always been the playbook against him, going back to his six seasons with the Giants. But through the first seven weeks of the season, Jones led the league in EPA per pressured dropback. From Week 8 on, he was 32nd.”
Solak notes that even with some up-and-down play under pressure, Shane Steichen’s ability as a game-planner and a run game powered by Jonathan Taylor can still generate a “pretty good offense.”
That said, an unknown right now is how Jones returns from the Achilles injury. He has impressed in that regard during training camp, but carrying that over into a game setting is the next box to check.
“If a still-healing Achilles in anyway impedes Jones’ escapability or increases his skittishness, the blueprint for beating the Colts will be apparent — pressure Jones at all costs,” added Solak. “It’s one thing to look healthy and clear recovery goals. It’s another thing to get back into the pocket and start ripping tight-window throws with pressure in your face by digging that back foot into the ground.”
Even if Jones hadn’t suffered the injury, Solak believes the Colts’ offense is a prime regression candidate — noting that the high-level success had with Jones under center likely cannot be replicated.
Now, that doesn’t mean this unit can’t be effective, but the question is, how close can they get to last year’s version?
“The production was just too hot to sustain,” Solak said of last year’s offense. “The Colts averaged 2.94 points per drive when Jones was quarterbacking, which would be tied with the 2011 Saints for the sixth-best number this century. That number is coming down this season — it’s just a question of how much.”
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Analyst identifies potential pitfall for Daniel Jones, Colts’ offense
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Bretl, Colts Wire | USA TODAY Network
