Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. loved what Daniel Jones brought to the team this season. On3 recently spoke to Pittman, and he was asked about his reaction to Jones suffering a season-ending Achilles injury earlier this month.

“I mean, everybody loves Dan,” Michael Pittman Jr. told On3. “Everything he’s done for us, the way that he’s given this franchise hope, the way that he’s helped this offense to reach levels that we’ve reached. We obviously miss him. It’s super unfortunate the way that it happened, but that guy is tough as nails, and I know that he’s going to be back. So we’re going to try to make him proud and do everything we can to keep this thing rolling.”

Daniel Jones signed a one-year contract with the Colts in March after spending six seasons with the New York Giants (and the last part of 2024 on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.) In 13 starts, Jones led the Colts to an 8-5 record, and he threw for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a 100.2 passer rating.

Michael Pittman Jr. and the Colts look to finish the 2025 season strong

At one point, the Colts were arguably the best team in the NFL with Jones under center. Now with him gone, the Colts made a big move by signing 44-year-old Philip Rivers. On Sunday, Rivers made his first NFL start since the 2020 season (which was with the Colts), and he threw for 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Colts’ 18-16 loss against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Colts are currently 8-6 and one game behind the Houston Texans for the final playoff spot in the AFC. And with three games remaining, Indianapolis is not out of the AFC South race, as they are two games behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the division lead.

Pittman, Rivers, and the rest of the Colts will need to play their best football the next three weeks in order to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. A big key for the Colts to win the next three games is Rivers making sure he finds Pittman as much as possible. Through 14 games, Pittman has registered 72 receptions for 725 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns.