The saddest sight of the NFL season might be Daniel Jones, sitting on the ground, slamming his helmet repeatedly on the turf in anger.
This isn’t the way one of the NFL’s best stories this season was supposed to end. Jones, who went from being cut during the 2024 season by the lowly New York Giants to a fantastic reclamation story with the Indianapolis Colts, took a seat after suffering an Achilles injury. His reaction was telling. He knew all of the implications immediately. The Colts probably did too.
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Indianapolis wasn’t very competitive in Sunday’s 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after Jones’ injury, and that’s not surprising. The Colts, now 8-5, fell behind the 9-4 Jaguars for the AFC South lead. Losing ground in the division is just the start of their problems. Colts head coach Steve Steichen wouldn’t confirm Jones’ injury is season-ending but said “it doesn’t look good,” via Stephen Holder of ESPN.
Assuming that Jones’ injury will end his season, it’s devastating on many levels. The Colts started the season 7-1, then lost three of four but were still in decent shape to at least make the playoffs. That isn’t the case anymore. The Colts already lost Anthony Richardson to a weird orbital bone fracture in a pregame mishap, and they’re down to sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard, who didn’t have an NFL completion before Sunday.
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It’s a massive injury for Jones’ career, the 2026 free-agency market and the short-term plans of the Colts. Jones is on a one-year deal. He had positioned himself to sign another big extension, or at least get the franchise tag for a huge payday. He played through a fracture in his fibula with the Colts leading the division, which was commendable due to the risk involved. An Achilles injury can take up to a full year to return from; Jones injuring it late in the season doesn’t help the uncertainty with his free agency.
There was little doubt that Jones was going to be back with Indianapolis, whether on a long-term deal or the franchise tag. That’s a reason the Colts traded two first-round draft picks to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. They felt they had an answer at quarterback and didn’t need to worry about potentially drafting one. That all changed on one play Sunday.
The Jets also are affected by Jones’ injury, considering that next year’s first-round pick from Indianapolis is likely to become much more valuable.
[Get more Colts news: Indianapolis team feed]
Other teams are affected, too. The AFC South race changes dramatically and looks like a two-team race between the Jaguars and Texans the rest of the way. Unless Leonard is a rare rookie success story, the Colts are unlikely to even make the playoffs. That would open up a wild-card spot, perhaps for someone on the bubble like the Chiefs. It would be a story for the ages if Jones’ injury set off a chain reaction that allowed the Chiefs to get in the playoffs when they normally wouldn’t have.
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Jones’ status for the the 2026 season will be a big question heading into the offseason, and will affect his future for next season and beyond. There are other questions, like whether head coach Shane Steichen might be in trouble if the Colts go from 7-1 to out of the playoffs, though it would seem like he’d get the benefit of the doubt after losing his quarterback.
Jones had been writing a tremendous story through the first half of the season. He had been ridiculed as a bust and given up on by the Giants. Then he took advantage of a chance to win the Colts’ starting quarterback job and through the first half of the season was on a remarkable run. One of the NFL’s best stories turned into one of the more awful ones with one misstep.
Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 14 of the NFL season:
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Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers: A week after Pittsburgh Steelers fans were chanting for Tomlin to be fired and Rodgers found himself dealing with blood trickling down his nose after he was blasted on a hit from behind, both of them found redemption.
Rodgers had a throwback game and Tomlin got a win closer to extending his streak of never have a record under .500 with a huge 27-22 win at the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore had its chances.
The Ravens had a touchdown to Isaiah Likely overturned because it was knocked out of his hands in the end zone before he completed the catch, and a last-minute drive ran out of time with the Ravens in Steelers territory. Lamar Jackson was sacked as he tried to get off a Hail Mary pass and time expired. The Ravens’ miserable season continues, and now they’re a game behind the Steelers in the AFC North standings.
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Sunday might be remembered as Rodgers’ best game in Pittsburgh. He had his first rushing touchdown since 2021 — complete with dusting off the old championship belt celebration — becoming the third 42-year-old player in NFL history to score a rushing touchdown (Tom Brady and Doug Flutie are the others). Rodgers also had some fantastic throws, and finished with 284 passing yards and a passing touchdown.
The win, coupled with the Bengals’ loss, gets the Steelers much closer to a division championship. That might quiet the critics, at least temporarily.
Seahawks’ claim as NFL’s best team: Not that the Atlanta Falcons are much of an obstacle these days, but Seattle made sure it was never in danger of losing Sunday.
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The Seahawks got an easy 37-9 win over the Falcons, who have to be questioning if head coach Raheem Morris will return for another season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba bounced back from a rare quiet day with two touchdowns. Seattle’s defense was fantastic. The special teams got involved too, with Rashid Shaheed returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
In this season without a dominant team, the Seahawks are as good of a pick as any as the best in the NFL. At very least, they kept the pressure on the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC West crown and likely top seed in the conference.
Christian Benford and Bills’ defense: Buffalo was in trouble in the fourth quarter. The Bills fell behind early to the Cincinnati Bengals and it looked for most of the game like they’d take a bad loss at home.
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Cornerback Christian Benford made a play that might have saved their season. On a cornerback blitz, Benford made a spectacular interception of a Joe Burrow pass. Benford returned it 63 yards for a touchdown, part of a flurry of 21 points in 4:30 for the Bills that helped them save a 39-34 win over the Bengals.
After Benford’s big play, the Bills got another interception and turned that into a touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Jackson Hawes on a fourth down. It was part of Allen’s big day with three passing touchdowns and another rushing.
The Bills are still unlikely to win the AFC East, but a wild-card spot might have been in jeopardy with a loss to the Bengals. The Bills’ defense — and Allen — made sure they didn’t take that damaging loss Sunday.
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LOSERS
Shedeur Sanders haters: It’s not a good week to be in the anti-Sanders crowd.
The Tennessee Titans are a bad football team, but that doesn’t take away from what Sanders did Sunday. Sanders had 364 yards, three touchdowns passing and another one rushing. His final passing touchdown came with 1:03 to go, but an ill-conceived 2-point conversion failed and the Titans held on for their second win of the season, 31-29.
It’s hard to blame Sanders for the loss. He was very good, including the final drive when the Browns needed a touchdown to have a shot at the tie.
Sanders had a big fall in the NFL Draft, and he has been the most talked-about fifth-round rookie pick ever. He draws extreme opinions, pro and con, and each of his starts is dissected unlike any other quarterback who started the preseason fourth on the team’s depth chart. Sanders has looked good through his three starts and was fantastic Sunday. It’s hard to argue with the results.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers had a clear path to perhaps win out, and easily win the NFC South. It’s not so clear anymore.
The Buccaneers made things harder on themselves by falling 24-20 to the New Orleans Saints at home. They’re now tied with the Carolina Panthers at 7-6 for first place in the NFC South. The Saints were 2-10 coming into Sunday’s game. It was a miserable loss for Tampa Bay.
The problem Sunday was Tampa’s offense. Baker Mayfield had his second straight quiet day since suffering a left shoulder injury, throwing for only 122 yards. The Saints did a good job limiting the Bucs’ big plays, and when the Bucs needed a touchdown late in the game to take the lead, they went four-and-out. On fourth down Cade Otton was shopped just short of the first down on a catch and that was it for Tampa Bay’s chances.
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The Buccaneers still have two games left against the Panthers, and those should determine the division champion. If Tampa Bay comes up a game short of the playoffs, the Bucs will know which game cost them.
Jayden Daniels: Daniels had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. It was arguably the best for a rookie quarterback ever.
His second season has been a nightmare. He has sustained multiple injuries, including a dislocated left elbow that seemed like it might knock him out for the rest of the season. Daniels was able to return, but maybe the Washington Commanders should have let him sit.
Nothing good is happening for Daniels this season, and he hurt his elbow again in a 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, who had a nice bounceback from J.J. McCarthy with three touchdown passes. Daniels was replaced by Marcus Mariota. Daniels wasn’t that effective before the injury, completing just 9 of 20 passes for 78 yards and an interception. Washington didn’t have a point on the board when he was knocked out of the game. Injuries have been a big part of Daniels’ season, but he hasn’t been nearly as effective when he has been on the field.
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It’s a lost season for Daniels. The best hope for Washington is that he gets to the offseason without anything else bad happening to him.
The Jets’ QB room: It has been a bad year to be a Jets quarterback.
Justin Fields was ineffective and benched, and he was inactive Sunday due to a knee injury. He wasn’t available when Tyrod Taylor suffered a groin injury and left the game. Taylor’s final line was 1-of-4 passing for 6 yards and an interception, which was a passer rating of 8.7.
With Fields out, Brady Cook came in for his first NFL action. He had 163 yards, two interceptions and no touchdown passes. Any Jets fan who sat through an ugly 34-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins should ask for a refund.
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It has been an ugly season overall for the Jets. They have to be hoping for it all to end soon, and then figure out the quarterback position in the offseason.
