ClutchPoints
The Indianapolis Colts’ fairytale start to the 2025 season came to a screeching halt in Week 9. That was courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a nightmare outing from quarterback Daniel Jones. What had been a season of redemption has quickly been tainted as Jones committed five turnovers. Jones had three interceptions and two fumbles in a 27-20 loss that stunned the Colts.
The Colts entered the game with a league-best 7-1 record. They looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders under head coach Shane Steichen. From the moment Jones was stripped on a first-quarter sack, though, the tone was set. The Steelers converted several of Jones’s mistakes into points. They turned short fields into touchdowns and forced Indianapolis out of its comfort zone. Despite a late rally, Jones’s miscues proved insurmountable. Now, the Colts’ once high-powered offense was held to its lowest output of the season. Note that Indy had averaged over 30 points per game in their last four outings before Week 9.
The loss reopened old wounds for Jones, whose tenure with the New York Giants had been defined by turnover issues. Now, those concerns are back and louder than ever.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Daniel Jones panic meter after his brutal showing in the Indianapolis Colts’ loss to Steelers.
There’s no sugarcoating it. Daniel Jones’s Week 9 meltdown was a crisis moment. He had seemingly found stability and success in Indianapolis. Sunday’s performance, though, was a gut punch to both his confidence and the Colts’ momentum. The panic meter for Jones sits at a firm 8 out of 10. That’s not because one loss derails a season. Rather, it’s because of the return of old habits that had supposedly been buried.
Jones finished the game 31-of-50 for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That said, those numbers hide the damage. His five turnovers directly led to 17 Steelers points. Each mistake seemed more avoidable than the last. The first interception came on a misread slant. The second was a forced deep ball into double coverage. The third was an errant throw under pressure. The fumbles? Both came from holding onto the ball too long.
This felt like a regression. It’s just impossible for Colts fans not to feel uneasy about what it means moving forward.
The most obvious reason for concern: five turnovers.. Before this week, the Colts had just four giveaways all season. Against Pittsburgh, Jones exceeded that in a single game. The Steelers turned three of those turnovers into scoring drives, including one off a strip-sack deep in Colts territory.
Turnovers aren’t new for Jones, of course. However, what makes this game particularly alarming is the timing. The Colts were 7-1, in control of the AFC, and facing a Steelers team on a losing streak. A clean performance would have kept Indianapolis atop the standings. Instead, Jones’s mistakes handed...
