Daniel Jones — Week 3: Four Sacks, Then the Winning Drive
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
Jones completed 24 of 36 throws for 235 yards, a touchdown and an interception, was sacked four times and lost two fumbles on sacks, one with the Colts up 16–10 and 4:45 left. Down 17–16 with 1:48 left, his 20-yard throw to Laquon Treadwell started the drive to Spencer Shrader's 53-yard field goal, and the Colts beat the Texans 19–17 for their first win.
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17 to 16, Texans, a minute 48 left, first and 10 at the Indianapolis 35 after a touchback. After an incompletion, Daniel Jones threw deep middle on second and 10 to Laquon Treadwell for 20 yards to the Houston 45. +1.5 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 10.4 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. Two Jonathan Taylor carries netted four yards, and on third and six at the 41 Jones went short left to Keenan Allen, a catch that was reviewed and spotted a yard short at the 36. Spencer Shrader kicked the 53-yard field goal with 21 seconds left, and Indianapolis had its first win.
It needed that drive because of two sacks by Will Anderson on which Jones lost the ball. The first came on first and 10 at the Indianapolis 47 with 11 28 left in a scoreless first quarter: −6.3 expected points and −16 points of win probability, the Colts' costliest play of the game by both measures. The second came on second and 10 at the Houston 39 with four 45 left in the fourth, Colts up 16 to 10: −5.5 and −12.6 points of win probability. Houston recovered at its own 46 and drove to the touchdown that put it ahead.
The line: 24 completions on 36 throws, 235 yards, one touchdown, one interception, four sacks, the most he has taken this season, and −6.9 expected points on 40 pass plays. Without the two strip-sacks the other 38 came to about +4.9. The touchdown was third and six at the Houston six with 11 13 left in the second quarter, short right to Allen, and the extra point made it 10 to nothing. The interception was third and four at the Houston 28 with 11 40 left in the third, up 13 to seven, deep left for Josh Downs, picked off at the one; Houston punted three snaps later. On third down he had 10 pass plays, eight throws, five completions and four conversions. He ran three times for five yards, and all three moved the chains: two yards on third and one twice, and a one-yard scramble on fourth and one at the Houston 19 before the field goal that opened the scoring.
Back in June the preview's read on Jones was a 13-game season that ended with a torn Achilles, with availability the input that kept failing, and a watch on his designed runs. Week 1 was −15.2 expected points and an interception that swung the game. Week 2 was +5.9 without a sack, and a first-quarter interception that became a touchdown for the second week running. Sunday he again took every Colts pass play, the interception came in the third quarter and cost nothing on the scoreboard, and the sacks became the problem instead. Three games: 65 of 98, 611 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, six sacks. Availability has held for all three games, and the designed runs the preview said to watch number three so far, two of them this week. Indianapolis faces the Commanders in London on Sunday the fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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