Colts confirm QB Daniel Jones has season-ending Achilles injury, backup Riley Leonard also hurt

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts will be without starting quarterback Daniel Jones the rest of this season. They're not even sure if backup Riley Leonard will play next weekend, either.

Coach Shane Steichen confirmed Monday the expected diagnosis that Jones tore his right Achilles tendon — and the surprise news that Leonard injured his right knee Sunday, too.

Jones was injured in the first half of Sunday's 36-19 loss in rainy Jacksonville. He crumpled to the ground, reaching toward his calf despite not being hit on the play. Jones then slammed his helmet into the ground before limping off the field and into the locker room. He returned to the sideline in the second half with a walking boot protecting his lower right leg.

Following the game, Steichen acknowledged the initial diagnosis was not "good” and that it could be season-ending. Less than 24 hours later, Steichen gave updates about both injuries.

“He'll have surgery within the week," Steichen said, referring to Jones. “Obviously, just really feel for him, just an unfortunate situation. The work he puts in, the grind, a team captain for us. One of the toughest guys I've ever been around. Just praying for a speedy recovery for him.”

It's a major blow for Jones, who resuscitated his career with an incredibly strong first eight games in his first season with Indy. Jones played so well, his name entered MVP discussion as his price tag in free agency continued to climb.

Losing Jones may prove more problematic for the Colts (8-5), though. They're trying to snap a three-game losing streak at Seattle (10-3) next weekend before closing out the season with home games against San Francisco (9-4) and Jacksonville (9-4) and a visit to Houston (8-5).

Indy heads into that stretch with four losses in five games and having slid out of the battle for the AFC's top seed while surrendering the division lead to the Jaguars and falling to No. 8 — one spot out of the playoffs. The Colts are trying to end a four-year playoff drought.

Leonard replaced Jones on Sunday, going 18 of 29 for 145 yards and one interception in his most extensive action since Notre Dame lost last year's national championship game. Steichen couldn’t say yet if Leonard would play at Seattle, but the Colts have limited options in the building.

“He came in with a knee (injury) this morning so we’re working through that right now. That's what I've got right now,” Steichen said before addressing Leonard's playing status. “Hopefully, that’s the hope. We'll see how it goes.”

If Leonard can't play, veteran Brett Rypien could be next in line even though he was signed to the practice squad in mid-October but is not yet on the active roster.

Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, lost the quarterback competition to Jones in training camp and has not practiced since going on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone in mid-October.

“He's not ready yet,” Steichen said when asked about Richardson's potential return.

As for Jones, he was having a career year.

He went 8-5, going 261 of 348 for 3,101 yards, 19 TDs and eight interceptions while rushing for 164 yards and five more scores.

Jones established a new career high in completion percentage, 68.0%, and fell two wins, 105 yards and five TD passes short of posting new career bests in those categories, too. He also made 13 starts, his most since starting 16 games while leading the New York Giants to the 2022 playoffs.

But he played hurt again this year. Jones used an extra pad on his injured lower left leg in his last three starts. The Colts never confirmed reports Jones played with a broken fibula.

Steichen couldn't say whether the injured fibula had any impact on Jones' Achilles tendon.

“I don't know that,” Steichen said. “I think it's just a very, very unfortunate situation”

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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) sacks Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (15) in the end zone for a safety during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (15) heads to the end zone for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Daniel Jones (17) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) grabs his leg after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday, injuring more than 20 people and triggering a tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) in Pacific coast communities, officials said.

The Japanese government was still assessing damages from the tsunami and late-evening quake, which struck at about 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island.

“I’ve never experienced such a big shaking,” convenience store owner Nobuo Yamada told the public broadcaster NHK in the Aomori prefecture town of Hachinohe, adding that “luckily” power lines were still operating in his area.

A tsunami of 70 centimeters was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and tsunami levels of up to 50 centimeters struck other coastal communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously. Most of the victims were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole.

The meteorological agency reported the quake's magnitude as 7.5, down from its earlier estimate of 7.6. It issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas and later downgraded to an advisory.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara urged residents to go to higher ground or seek shelter until advisories were lifted. He said about 800 homes were without electricity, and that the Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region.

Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks, Kihara said. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters (118 gallons) of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern.

About 480 residents were taking shelter at the Hachinohe Air Base, and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.

About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported.

The meteorological agency issued a caution about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week.

Satoshi Kato, a vice principal of a public high school in Hachinohe, told NHK that he was at home when the quake struck, and that glasses and bowls fell and smashed into shards on the floor.

Kato said he drove to the school because it was designated an evacuation center, and on the way he encountered traffic jams and car accidents as panicked people tried to flee. Nobody had yet come to the school to take shelter, he said.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in brief comment to reporters, said the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

Later, she urged residents in the region to pay attention to the latest information from local municipalities. “Please be prepared so you can immediately evacuate as soon as you feel a tremor."

The quake struck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hachinohe, and about 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the sea surface, the meteorological agency said.

It was just north of the Japanese coast that suffered the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 that killed nearly 20,000 people.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo early Tuesday, Dec. 9, following a strong earthquake in northeastern Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo after a strong earthquake struck northeastern Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

A tsunami warning is displayed on a television in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, after a strong earthquake hits off Japanese northern coast, tsunami alert issued. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)