The Colts have already started tearing this thing down, and the next dominoes may be the biggest ones yet.
Indianapolis is 2-6 after getting blasted 42-7 by the Jaguars on Sunday, a game that featured two Daniel Jones interceptions, including a pick-six, and 183 rushing yards allowed by the defense. With the team already having moved on from general manager Chris Ballard and traded franchise pieces Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner before Week 8, owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon still has more decisions looming. The biggest question now is whether Shane Steichen and Daniel Jones are part of the next phase at all.
For a franchise that still hasn’t found its footing since Andrew Luck retired, the latest collapse feels like more of the same. The Colts have cycled through too many veteran placeholders at quarterback - Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and others - and the results have been painfully familiar. They’ve made just two playoff appearances in the last 11 seasons, a number that is likely to become 12.
There was a stretch in 2025 that looked like it might finally break the pattern. Jones arrived looking revived, the run game was rolling, and Indianapolis surged to an 8-2 start.
That hot start pushed the front office into win-now mode, leading to the trade for Sauce Gardner from the Jets for two first-round picks. But once Jones suffered a season-ending injury, everything unraveled.
The Colts never found a stable answer at quarterback, cycling through Anthony Richardson, Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard as the year fell apart.
Now the 2026 season is already drifting the same way. Since the bye week in 2025, Indianapolis is 2-13.
Jones hasn’t looked like the same athlete he was before the Achilles injury, and the turnover issues that have followed him have shown up again. The defense hasn’t helped either, giving up 41 points to the Ravens, 33 to the Chiefs, 34 to the Steelers and 42 to Jacksonville.
That’s why the Jaguars loss landed like such a hard verdict. It wasn’t just ugly - it felt like confirmation that the Colts need to make a real reset. Jones has thrown seven interceptions this season and is completing under 60% of his passes, and his future no longer looks tied to the team’s long-term plans.
“I gotta play better. Gotta execute more consistently,” Jones said on Sunday. “Put the team in position to score points and win these games.”
The extension he signed this offseason - two years, $88 million - already looks like a costly mistake. Spotrac projects the Colts would be on the hook for $35.2 million in dead cap if they move on from him next offseason.
If there isn’t a trade market, he’s likely staying put through the rest of 2026. There was at least a brief window of a possible out, with the Ravens mentioned as a team that might have interest after Week 8 injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.
Even if Jones remains on the roster, the Colts should use the rest of the season to find out what they have in Anthony Richardson. After Jones’ two interceptions on Sunday, Richardson entered in the fourth quarter and completed two passes. He has talent - he ran for 499 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 - but injuries have kept interrupting his development, and the Colts have tried to manage that by keeping him on the bench.
Richardson also spoke after the game about the eye surgery he had last year, saying:
“I would go to the doctor, and they would tell me they don't know if I'm getting my vision back.”
Steichen said after the loss that he is evaluating “everything,” including whether Jones should remain the starter. That’s the right place to start, because the numbers and the results are hard to ignore. Since taking over in 2023, Steichen has not delivered a playoff appearance, and his record in Indianapolis now sits at 27-31.
“We got out-coached. We got out-played,” Steichen said after the Jaguars game.
The Colts are also riding a four-game losing streak, and the way this season has gone makes it hard to see a quick fix. The talent on the field against Jacksonville wasn’t enough, and the roster has already been stripped down by the recent trades. But at some point, the losses have to land on the coach, too.
A major turnaround would be required just to keep Indianapolis in the playoff conversation, and that doesn’t look realistic anymore. With Ballard gone, Nelson and Buckner traded, and Taylor and Josh Downs now in the middle of trade chatter, the franchise is staring at the possibility of a full reset. That could mean a new general manager, a new head coach, a new quarterback and even a new lead back by 2027.
For now, the Colts’ next move may be the simplest one: bench Jones, give Richardson the rest of the runway, and decide whether Steichen is the right coach to guide whatever comes next.
In Other News...
Jaguars Are Rolling At Home But One New Concern Just Loomed
The Jaguars kept their home dominance rolling against the Colts, and the latest win only added to what has become a striking pattern in Jacksonville. It was their seventh straight home victory by 17 or more points, a run that ties for the third-longest in NFL history, and they have topped 30 points in all three home games this season.
But the bigger concern coming out of Sunday was the injury list. Eric Murray, Ezra Cleveland and DaVon Hamilton all got hurt during the game, and Hamiltons knee issue looked especially troubling as the Jaguars head into a short week. Jacksonville now has to turn around quickly for Thursday nights matchup with the Ravens, a test made even more complicated by Baltimores own quarterback injury situation. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Crushed The Colts But Left Fans With One Big Worry
The Jaguars had just about everything working in their 42-7 rout of the Colts, from a dominant ground game to another emphatic home win in the AFC South rivalry. Rookie Nate Boerkircher scored his first touchdown, and Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez powered the offense with a combined 217 total yards and three scores, giving Jacksonville a lopsided result that fit the tone of the afternoon.
But the victory came with a cost that could linger beyond Week 8. Davon Hamilton, Eric Murray, Ezra Cleveland and Travon Walker all went down with injuries during the game, leaving the Jaguars with a postgame concern that could matter far more than the final score if those absences stretch into the coming weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Get A Needed WR Boost Before A Huge Colts Test
The Jaguars got a welcome bit of clarity before a pivotal AFC South matchup, with the Week 8 inactive list showing Jakobi Meyers available against the Colts despite the earlier injury concern. His presence gives Jacksonville another option in the passing game alongside Parker Washington, and it comes at a time when the offense could use as many dependable targets as possible heading into a divisional test.
Several other players are on the inactive list, so the roster picture is not entirely clean, but the biggest takeaway for Jacksonville is that Meyers is in uniform for a game that carries real weight in the standings. Trevor Lawrence has already voiced confidence in what this group can be, and now the Jaguars get a chance to back that up with a healthier receiving setup in front of a key home stretch. [Read more 🡒]