Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams will face off against Daniel Jones when they play the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. Or at least, that’s the plan for now. Colts head coach Shane Steichen officially named Jones as the starter on Tuesday, ending a somewhat predictable competition against former starter Anthony Richardson. Steichen says that Jones will not have a “short leash” to start the season but that Indianapolis isn’t giving up on Richardson either.
Both of those statements are actually very typical of a quarterback competition where the loser of the battle was a recent high draft pick. Make no mistake though: Richardson’s entire career is in jeopardy. He just lost to Daniel Jones.
That also does not mean that Steichen won’t change his mind before Week 4 because it is Jones.
Daniel Jones started 2024 as the Giants starter despite an awful 2023 season and he was eventually benched and then released. Jones picked up with the Minnesota Vikings, but never appeared in a game. Jones had 2,070 passing yards, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions, and four fumbles in 10 starts for the Giants. New York has gone 3-13 in his last 16 starts.
The Colts could be the worst team in the AFC unless Steichen is that good of a head coach.
The best players on offense are the left side of the offensive line (Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson), right tackle Braden Smith, receivers Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce, and running back Jonathan Taylor. The team also drafted tight end Tyler Warren in the first round. There is talent there, but it’s all being managed by Daniel Jones at quarterback because Richardson wasn’t good enough in camp or preseason and he is constantly getting injured or tired.
It could add up to a team that’s good enough to compete for a wild card or bad enough to pick first in the 2026 draft.
What are your predictions for Daniel Jones’s Colts?
