Colts' Steichen Reflects on Win, Gives Jones Big Credit

The Indianapolis Colts squeezed by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, winning 31-27 with a last-minute defensive stop in the red zone.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen recognized Daniel Jones' resilient play in the win, saying, "He's got laser focus. He's locked in. I think it’s his preparation – a lot of you guys have heard me say that, but his preparation that he puts in during the week. When you're prepared like the way he does, you don’t blink."

Jones kept the Colts in the game when it mattered most, leading Indy to two consecutive touchdown drives to give the defense a chance to get a game-winning stop against Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals' offense.

Daniel Jones in the win vs. Cardinals:

— 22/30 (73%)
— 232 Total Yards
— 3 Total Touchdowns
— 1 Interception
— 101.0 Passer Rating

Played a strong game to get the W. pic.twitter.com/gmMXv6bfDS
— Colts Muse (@ColtsMusee) October 12, 2025

When Steichen was questioned about the throws Jones made on those last few drives, he kept it simple: "It was huge."

"We had a couple of (big completions)," Steichen said. "We had one with a little double move to (Josh) Downs, and they went to a Cloud (coverage). And (Daniel Jones) was talking about all week, ‘Hey, if they go to this cover, they might snap around and rip this in cut there.’ And sure enough, he saw it pre-snap, and he hit Alec (Pierce) right there on the in, which was a huge play to set up that touchdown drive. So like I said, he made some big- time throws."

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Josh Downs had his best game of the season against Arizona, hauling in a touchdown throw from Jones and converting a clutch third down in the red zone to set Indy up for the game-winning score.

Steichen explained the play call on that third-and-8 down by the goal line.

“It was (Josh Downs) one-on-one with the backer inside there. And we just had a little shake route on him, trying to cross face right there. He did a hell of a job creating the space right there, and great throw by Daniel (Jones) to get that first down in that situation.”

It may not show up in the box score, but what Josh Downs does in the slot is a big reason why the Colts offense has been as potent as it has been in 2025.

Yesterday, he had a critical first down catch on the last offensive drive that was the difference between 6 and 3 points on… pic.twitter.com/tnItPS7XRi
— Cody Felger (@CPFelger55) October 13, 2025

Downs finished the game with six catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Jones ended with 212 passing yards on a 73.3% completion rate, three total touchdowns, and an interception.

Steichen has loved the way his quarterback prepares during the week, praising it after every win.

"I mean, Saturday night quarterback meeting we're in there, and he's like, ‘Hey, let's pull up Carolina clip 42 and pull up Carolina clip 38. Let's look at these looks and just make sure, are we good on this? Boom, boom, boom. Do you want me to check out of that?’ I mean, he's just all over it. That's the preparation, and that's what you want at that position," Steichen told reporters.

The Colts have put themselves in the driver's seat in the AFC South as they look to bring Indy its first division title since 2014. Offensive consistency and defensive stops in clutch moments are the ingredients for postseason success, and the Colts have shown just that in their five wins to start the year.

AFC South Standings after Week 6:

1. #Colts 5-1
2. Jaguars 4-2
3. Texans 2-3
4. Titans 1-5
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) October 12, 2025

Steichen's Colts face the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in Week 7. With some injury concerns in the defense, it'll be another wire-to-wire battle against a top AFC opponent.

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