Colts players open up about Daniel Jones playing through worrisome injury

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones looked like a diminished version of his best self as he attempted to play with a reported fracture in his fibula in back-to-back losses that dropped the Colts to 8-4 on the season. 

Some outsiders understandably have suggested that Jones continuing to start could do more harm than good as it pertains to the Colts' pursuit of at least a playoff berth. It sounds like his teammates don't agree with such assessments heading into the first weekend of December. 

Daniel Jones praised as "the ultimate team guy"'

"He's just the ultimate team guy, a great teammate, and he's putting it all on the line for everyone in here," Colts guard Quenton Nelson recently said about Jones, as ESPN's Stephen Holder shared on Friday. "All his teammates, all his coaches, all the people that believe in him and love him just have so much respect for him doing that for us. He's putting the team above his health, which not a lot of guys would do with what he's going through."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Grant Gordon) previously mentioned that Jones initially played through his injury during Indianapolis' Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs back on Nov. 23. On Nov. 30, the Houston Texans earned a 20-16 win over the Colts. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Jones completed just 56.9% of his passes for 382 yards (an average of 191 yards per game) with four touchdowns and no interceptions over those two defeats. He also rushed for just 17 yards and no scores after he tallied five rushing touchdowns over the previous 10 contests. 

Daniel Jones has three-word message about injury

Earlier in the week, Jones revealed that he is wearing a protective pad created on a 3D printer by a company founded by two of his Duke teammates. Meanwhile, Colts head coach Shane Steichen insisted that Jones playing while hurt "shows the toughness and what he's willing to put on the line for the guys." 

"He got the MRI, and I'm, of course, very curious," Colts rookie backup quarterback Riley Leonard added about Jones. "I just wanted to know as soon as possible. I called some [team staffers], and they had really long explanations. And then [Jones] just texted me, 'I'll be good.' That's it. Three words. 'I'll be good.' I said, 'All right.' He's a tough guy."

The Colts may need Jones to be better than good when they play at the 8-4 Jacksonville Jaguars this coming Sunday to determine which club will begin Monday sitting atop the AFC South standings. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Indianapolis as a 1.5-point road favorite for that game.