Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen responded to the calls by fans and analysts for the team to bench QB Daniel Jones.
The Colts lost 16-10 to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7 as Indianapolis dropped to 2-5 on the season.
Jones was terrible, completing just 13-of-22 passes for only 108 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception as the Colts lost a winnable game against a Vikings team that didn’t do anything special.
So, will Indianapolis make a chance behind center? Not anytime soon, says Steichen.
Shane Steichen Won’t Bench Daniel Jones
Speaking to reporters after the Colts lost to the Vikings in Week 7, Steichen made it clear that he has no interest in benching Jones despite the poor play the team is receiving from its starting quarterback these days.
“Because I got a ton of faith in Daniel (Jones). The game plane today was to go in and run the football. Obviously, at the end he had the interception and that happens in football,” Steichen said.
Why not?
“Because I got a ton of faith in Daniel (Jones). The game plane today was to go in and run the football. Obviously, at the end he had the interception and that happens in football.”
Colts in Big Trouble
With their loss to Minnesota, the Colts are just 2-5 this season, which somehow has them in second place in the AFC South, but that’s only because the 2-5 Houston Texans and 1-6 Tennessee Titans have also been awful.
It’s likely that only one team from this division is going to make the playoffs this year, and right now that appears to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lead the division at 4-2 through their first six games of the season.
It’s still mathematically possible, of course, for the Colts to win this division just because no one else is completely running away with things. But they have a lot of holes on their team, especially when it comes to poor QB play, and the Colts aren’t going anywhere unless Jones puts the team on their backs and helps them get back on track.
It sure doesn’t look like Steichen wants to bench him, and it’s likely because backup Anthony Richardson doesn’t exactly inspire any confidence with the coaching staff. But based on Jones’s play so far this season, it’s hard to trust him right now, either.
Colts HC Shane Steichen Responds to Calls to Bench Daniel Jones