The Colts won’t get Le’Raven Clark back, and without Anthony Castonzo, they’re entering the LT danger zone.
The Indianapolis Colts, formerly the AFC team with the strongest offensive line, have now seen their unit regress, though not as harshly as the NFC’s line kings in Dallas.
The situation only got more dire on Sunday, when a portion of the team’s stout second unit went down.
Le’Raven Clark, already filling in for Anthony Castonzo at left tackle in protecting Philip Rivers’ blind side, was carted off Sunday during an eventual win over the Texans. Suspected to be a torn Achilles from the moment the injury was suffered, the disastrous diagnosis was confirmed on Monday afternoon.
The preliminary diagnosis on #Colts OL Le’Raven Clark is a torn Achilles, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 7, 2020
He’ll have an MRI to confirm. Big loss for Indy, which had Clark starting at left tackle in place of Anthony Castonzo. They’re down to their third option on Philip Rivers’ blind side.
And Castonzo still isn’t walking through that door just yet.
The starting LT didn’t practice all last week while nursing a knee issue, leaving the OL somewhat barren against JJ Watt and the Texans, a blocking situation that only got more precarious when Clark went down.
The gauntlet doesn’t end here, either — Watt and the Texans are right back at it, traveling to Indianapolis to tee off on the Colts’ undermanned unit again in two weeks.
With Clark gone and Castonzo MIA, Indy is now down to relying on former Cowboys castoff Chad Green and rookie Danny Pinter to keep Rivers upright — hardly a winning combination.
LT Le’Raven Clark has been diagnosed with a torn Achilles following an MRI. Clark has been placed on IR per HC Frank Reich and will miss the remainder of the 2020 season.
— Ʊ Bring The Juice Ʊ (@BTJPod) December 7, 2020
This is a huge blow, leaving the Colts with Chaz Green & Danny Pinter left on the active roster. pic.twitter.com/ezic4RjUps
This injury only further proves why prognosticating in the NFL is foolish.
Before the season, if you’d theorized the Colts would be in the AFC South hunt, you’d have said it would be due to their superior O-Line and power running game, which could help buoy Rivers.
Instead, the line is in shambles, Marlon Mack’s elimination during Week 1 threw the running game off, and the Colts are still largely, well, clicking after getting lucky at the goal line Sunday.
It’s not how they drew it up, but they’ll take it. Chalk up Clark’s absence as yet another obstacle in a season full of overcoming them.
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