The Indianapolis Colts must have felt as if they had no choice. The difference between an injured Daniel Jones and a healthy Riley Leonard was too great to risk. Jones had shown he could be excellent in head coach Shane Steichen's system. Leonard wasn't even very good in preseason games.
To make matters more difficult, Jones was facing a Houston Texans defense that came into the game ranked second in yards allowed per play (4.6), first in quarterback rating allowed (72.2), and fourth in turnovers created (19). A healthier Jones had struggled with turnovers in recent games, too.