PITTSBURGH (AP) — Daniel Jones spent the first half of his first season in Indianapolis rewriting the narrative of his career.
However, the story is far from over. Three miserable hours during Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers provided tangible, brutal evidence that for all of Jones' progress, he remains very much a work in progress.
Three choices. Two misses. Shaky decisions. All the bad habits Jones seemed to leave behind in New York resurfaced in a performance that the Colts' top AFC South players believe is a one-off, not a trend.
“We're confident in who we are,” Jones said after the Colts lost 7-2. “We understand that if you turn the ball over, it's going to happen. When we protect (it), we do well.”
And they did it. Indianapolis entered Acrisur Stadium with just four losses on the season. They gave up a total of six runs against the Steelers, who turned four misses into 24 points.
The deluge began early when Pittsburgh's punt deflected off Indianapolis returner Josh Downs and was tackled by Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols. However, the Indianapolis defense held out, setting up Pittsburgh's fourth goal.
The delay was temporary. The game took a turn in the second quarter when Colts right tackle Braden Smith fumbled while trying to block Pittsburgh All-Pro outside linebacker TJ Watt, who swooped in and knocked the ball out of Jones' hands before falling on him.
The Steelers scored on the ensuing drive to tie the game, then took the lead for good less than two minutes later after Jones threw the first of his three interceptions, a short pass over the middle that went straight to Pittsburgh linebacker Payton Wilson.
Two plays later, Aaron Rodgers found Pat Freiermuth for a 12-yard score, and the NFL's top-ranked offense suddenly found itself in catch-up mode, a rare occurrence during the franchise's remarkable start.
The Colts never got there. Two more Jones interceptions, both through the air, and another fumble on a sack brought back memories of Jones' faltering play in New York, where he arrived in 2019 as a top-10 pick and left last spring after six largely forgettable seasons.
But Jones' teammates and coaches came to his defense on a day when he completed 31 of 50 for 342 yards and a touchdown both rushing and passing.
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Jones “did well” to face a pass rush that restored some of the threat after being kept in check during losses to Green Bay and Cincinnati.
Receiver Michael Pittman blamed the skill position players for not getting open quickly enough to bail out their quarterback.
“We have to find ways to speed things up against guys like that,” Pittman said.
Perhaps more involvement from Jonathan Taylor would have helped. The NFL's leading rusher was held to a season-low 45 yards on 14 carries, including just eight carries for 23 yards in the first half when Jones allowed him to carry 20 times against a struggling secondary that entered the weekend last in the league against the pass.
“Can I find him some more carries? Probably,” Steichen said. “I thought they did something good, stopping the run early.”
Watt didn't blame Jones for trying to check the secondary with three safety balls. Pittsburgh was forced to start Kyle Dugger just three days after acquiring the veteran in a trade with New England. Given the circumstances, Watt might have thrown the ball, too.
“They wanted to pass,” Watt said. “I mean, if you can, take it as an opportunity. But I'm glad we were able to capitalize on it.”
The challenge for Indianapolis will be to not let one bad performance lead to another. The Colts have been one of the league's biggest surprises, thanks in large part to Jones' resurgence. They don't think four shaky quarters should eclipse two months of dynamic play.
“I think we have some mature guys in the room,” Jones said. “We'll certainly look to make up for what we haven't done. But as far as our level of confidence or who we think we are as a team, we're confident about that.”
Later this week, the Colts will take the long flight to Berlin, Germany, before an international meet with Atlanta. What follows is a long-awaited week of rest and then a tense race in which the stakes will be much higher than anyone outside Indianapolis could have imagined at the start of the season.
“We just need to move on and keep playing,” tight end Tyler Warren said. “It's a long season. We still have a lot to prove.”
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