The Indianapolis Colts And Daniel Jones Might Be Who We Thought They Were

Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin spent time with the CBS television crew Saturday evening before his team played the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and he admitted in that production meeting it was up to his team to prove it could go on the road to a difficult environment against a good team and win.

Nope.

Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) go for a loose ball during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Colts Return To Earth Story Of Week

The Colts were welcomed back to Earth after forging an NFL-best 7-1 record before this game by getting kind of embarrassed.

And, quickly, the Steelers are back on course after two consecutive losses. But that's not the story.

(Sorry Aaron Rodgers).

The story and the question that will echo throughout the NFL is whether the Colts really are that good. Or just paper tigers.

There's compelling evidence of the latter now.

Before Sunday's loss, the Colts had played eight games against teams with a combined 24-38 record. That's the Colts beating up on teams with a combined .387 winning percentage.

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 02: Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Connor Heyward (83) celebrates his first down during an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 02, 2025 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Colts Different This Game

And, yes, they beat the Los Angeles Chargers who are a playoff contender and were a couple of dumb mistakes from beating the Los Angeles Rams. But aside from giving the Los Angeles franchises all they could handle, it didn't help against the Steelers.

Because Sunday we saw the old Daniel Jones – even against a defense that was under heavy criticism.

Jones was an NFL MVP candidate before this game. He came into the game among the league's leaders in completion percentage, passer rating and passing yards. He also had avoided the turnovers that punctuated his time with the New York Giants that led to him being released last season.

That guy was absent Sunday.

Old Daniel Jones Makes Appearance

Jones threw three interceptions. And lost two fumbles.

"Turnovers were the biggest thing that slowed us down today," Jones said, striking an obvious chord. "We executed at times and moved the ball and then hurt ourselves with turnovers … I think turnovers played a big part of it." 

The troubling thing is that Jones not only threw interceptions but had those two fumbles on strip sacks. That was him looking a lot like he did during his days with the Giants.

"Credit to them," he said. "They have a good pass rushers and guys who can really rush so I have to get the ball out."

The last of those interceptions came with less than three minutes to play and the Colts trying to rally after a Steelers' turnover.

To give this more context, the Steelers defense was under withering criticism from fans who wanted more take-aways from a unit that had only 10 the previous seven games. 

Indianapolis's six turnovers changes that narrative. And were the downfall of a Colts team that had only four turnovers in the first eight games of the season. Indy also muffed a punt so that accounted for the extra turnover. 

And now the lingering question:

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 02: Daniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts passes against the New England Patriots during the first half in the game at Acrisure Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Jones Confident In Who Colts Are

We know the Colts are good enough to beat bad teams, barring a collapse of some kind.

But their schedule promises games against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. 

They won't always be like playing games in the AFC South where the Titans have been a victim as much as an opponent. They won't be repeating the four games they've already won against last-place teams.

The Colts may get to the playoffs.

And because the playoffs present good opposition, the question becomes what kind of lasting power the  team will have. This outcome suggests it might not be too much.

"We have mature guys in the [locker room]," Jones said. "I'm sure we'll be eager to correct the things we didn't do as well [this game.] But as far as our confidence level and who we think we are, we're sure of who we are."