1. Why Shane Steichen is sticking with Daniel Jones as the Colts' QB1.
Head coach Shane Steichen on Sunday left the door open for a change at quarterback, saying he'll "evaluate everything, every position" when asked specifically if Daniel Jones would remain his team's starting quarterback moving forward.
On Monday, Steichen said he's sticking with Jones, who completed 19 of 28 passes for 144 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against the Jaguars.
"Evaluating the tape, looking back at it, some things he could do better, some things that we need to help him with moving forward," Steichen said. "But I do feel that Daniel gives the best chance to win right now."
Steichen's decision to pull Jones for backup Anthony Richardson Sr. on Sunday was done with the scoreboard in mind – the Colts were losing by 35 in the fourth quarter, and the Jaguars had just pulled starter Trevor Lawrence.
The Colts' offensive woes aren't all on Jones, and he hasn't blamed anyone but himself when asked about specific plays or trends this season. But Jones' 68.6 passer rating is the lowest among qualified starting quarterbacks; he has the second-most interceptions (nine), the sixth-lowest completion percentage (60.4 percent) and the second-lowest yards per attempt average (5.8) among starting quarterbacks this season.
"Just got to execute better, find open guys, help generate some explosive plays," Jones said. "I think week after week I have to do a better job getting us in situations, moving the ball, finding the open guy."
Upon reviewing the film, Steichen saw Jones make good decisions; he also noted Jones' first interception, which went for a pick-six, went through the hands of his intended target, tight end Tyler Warren.
"It goes back to the preparation and the command he has of the offense and what we're trying to get done," Steichen said. "Like I said, he knows he needs to play better. We've got to do a better job around him, executing better at all levels."
2. Anthony Richardson Sr. was grateful for the opportunity he had on Sunday.
Richardson played 13 snaps in the fourth quarter, representing his first regular season snaps since Oct. 5, 2025. A week after that 2025 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Richardson sustained an eye injury while during band work prior to the Colts' Week 6 game; he was placed on injured reserve and missed the remainder of the 2025 season.
While Richardson played in all three of the Colts' preseason games, and emerged from a competition with Riley Leonard to be Jones' backup, getting to play in a regular season game again was meaningful for the 2023 No. 4 overall pick.
"There was definitely some times where I would go to the doctor and they would tell me they didn't know if I'm getting my vision back," Richardson said. "So I'm just grateful that I even get a chance to go out there and throw a pass. ... There was a day and time where that wasn't promised for me. So, like I said, I'm grateful for it. I'm just thankful."
3. Steichen is focused on the Colts' execution and coaching, not effort.
Steichen on Monday clarified he saw the Colts collectively play hard against the Jaguars, but emphasized the need for better coaching and execution.
"I thought the execution wasn't there, and the coaching needs to be better," Steichen said. "Those are the two things that really stood out to me. Make sure we're all on the same page moving forward."
Safety and captain Cam Bynum emphasized a similar sentiment after Sunday's game.
"I wouldn't say lack of effort," Bynum said. "I think execution and just making sure that we're doing our job when it's our job to make certain plays. Little simple routine things, being able to do it. I wouldn't say effort is an issue. Especially (because) we got a lot of good players as far as playing hard and high effort guys, and I wouldn't say that's the issue. I think it just comes down to execution and doing our job, you know, for all 70 plays or whatever."
Steichen, too, highlighted several young players who made an impression on him Week 8.
"I was really pleased with a lot of the guys," Steichen said. "Like I said after the game, Caden Curry, I thought he played awesome. I thought (Jalen) Farmer stepped in and did some really good things getting his first start. CJ Allen showed up, had 10 tackles. So, I was really pleased with a lot of those guys, and I'm excited for their growth moving forward as well."
4. CJ Allen played a lot and had some good moments.
Let's focus on Allen and then Curry to close out here. Allen played 45 of 51 defensive snaps, the most of any Colts linebacker, in his first career NFL start.
Seven of Allen's 10 tackles came against the run, with five of those tackles representing a run stop – a stat defined by PFF as a tackle that constitutes a "failure" for the offense.
Allen also added his first career sack when he flew unblocked into the pocket and dropped Lawrence.
"Coach Lou (Anarumo) did a great job," Allen said. "I only had to just execute the call, so it wasn't that big on my end. But I think coach Lou did a great job calling it right there."
These snaps are extremely valuable to the growth and development of Allen, the No. 53 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Anarumo said Allen would've started in Week 7 had he not sustained an ankle injury in practice leading up to that game, and from here on out, Allen will look to continue to grow and develop over the back half of his rookie year.
"It's been a roller coaster experience," Allen said. "But I think just getting better on the mental aspect of the game, just getting my body right and stuff like that. So I think I'm growing. I want to continue to grow, continue to get better."
5. Caden Curry was another rookie who flashed on Sunday.
Curry will get plaudits for his fumble recovery on ex-Ohio State teammate Jaylahn Tuimolau's strip-sack, and with good reason. But that wasn't his only impressive moment of Sunday's game.
On a first-and-10 late in the first quarter, Curry blasted through a block by Jaguars tight end Quintin Morris, regained leverage and dropped running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. for a gain of just one yard.
Then, on a third-and-six in the third quarter, Curry lined up over left guard Emmanuel Pregnon and soundly beat him with a spin move. And while Curry wasn't able to bring down Lawrence, Tuimoloau and defensive end Laiatu Latu were able to sack him, forcing a punt.
Curry, by the way, has the seventh-highest Pro Football Focus special teams grade (86.2) among players with at least 100 special teams snaps.
Plays like the ones Curry made Sunday, and has made all season on special teams, will only continue to earn the Indianapolis-area native more playing time for his hometown team this season.
"That's just my play style," Curry said. "Obviously, if I'm playing football, it's one speed and it's all go. I'm not going out there and know the situation and play a different way. That's just how the game should be played, and I feel like it's just one speed: It's all go."
