KANSAS CITY – Daniel Jones said postgame in the Colts’ 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that his fibula injury – which put the quarterback on the team’s injury report for the first time this season on Thursday – was “good enough to play” with, even though he looked to have less burst than usual.
Jones, who wasn’t sacked Sunday after being taken down 15 times over the last three games, had two notable runs – both for first downs – in Sunday’s loss as he appeared to be at less than 100%.
The first came early in the second quarter, the Colts facing a 3rd-and-1 from their own 34. Flushed out of the pocket to his right, Jones took off with no one within at least five yards but never appeared to hit full throttle before dipping out of bounds for 4 yards.
It appeared he could’ve gone for several more without generating contact with the approaching Chiefs defender.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen shrugged off the insinuation that the run was at all abnormal.
“That one he ran to our sidelines, it was 3rd-and-1. He was going for a first down, and he got it and got out,” Steichen said when asked of Jones’ jog and lack of explosiveness on the play.
On another scramble late in the third quarter and the Colts approaching the red zone, Jones stepped up in the pocket, recognized a smothered receiving corps and tucked it and ran. There, too, he seemed to be not quite have the explosiveness in the open field. Jones gained 13 yards, ending it with a less-than-smooth slide for the first-down on 2nd-and-8.
“(The fibula injury) was good enough to play and feel good out there,” Jones said when asked whether he was less than 100% with the injury post-game.
Jones landed on the Colts’ injury report following Thursday’s practice, where the starting quarterback was listed as ‘limited.’ Initially classified as a calf injury, Jones was reevaluated after practice and Steichen clarified the injury was to the fibula. He declined to go into specifics Friday.
Jones was a full participant in Friday’s practice, the Colts’ final one ahead of Sunday’s game. The Colts QB finished 19-for-31 for 181 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 3-for-9 passing combined in the fourth quarter and overtime for 17 yards over a stretch where the Colts offense went three-and-out four straight times – a sequence where the team led 20-9 at the start.
“I thought he was playing pretty good ball,” Steichen said of Jones’ overall performance Sunday.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Was Colts QB Daniel Jones less than 100%? What he and Shane Steichen said
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
