3 Week 1 scenarios that would be a nightmare for the Colts
1. Colts lose a star to an injury
I really hate writing this. Generally, I am not a very superstitious person but when it comes to talking about injuries and players I get very nervous. Just talking about it somehow makes me and other fans think it can happen in actuality. One of the worst nightmare scenarios for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 could be losing one of their key pieces.
Imagine if Jonathan Taylor suffered a similar injury to what Marlon Mack did in Week 1 of 2020. That completely changed the trajectory of both of their careers. Mack was coming off his first 1,000-yard season and was destined to be the lead back in a growing offense. He tore his Achilles in Week 1 and wasn’t the same player after. Taylor took the opportunity to gain firm control of the RB1 position and never looked back. As his stock rose Mack’s fell. Mack barely played in 2021 and is now a free agent this season after being signed by the Texans, placed on the practice squad, and then dropped from the practice squad.
If Taylor would suffer a similar injury, our offense would take on a totally different look and have to rely more on the passing game which is largely unproven. Ryan is a more than capable quarterback but the receiving core is still filled with question marks.
If we look on the other side of the ball, a major injury to DeForest Buckner or Grover Stewart could have similar consequences. The interior portion of our defensive line is thin with some unproven young guys behind the starting unit. If an injury were to occur to one of these two, then we would have an even harder time pressuring the quarterback.
I recently wrote an article on three things the Colts’ defense needs to improve upon and pressuring the QB was one of them. In that article, I walk through how important Buckner has been to the defense and really the sole force of pressure before bringing in Yannick Ngakoue.
This may be the worst of the three nightmare scenarios I described. Not only would this affect the players and the Colts this season but could have a lasting impact on the player’s career. How often do we see guys suffer a major injury and never quite return to the same level of play we are accustomed to seeing? I feel a lot of fans have this fear with Leonard but all signs point to him recovering well.
I will finish by saying I don’t believe (or hope) that any of these scenarios will occur. All signs point to the Indianapolis Colts having a bounce-back season and the offense firing on all cylinders with Ryan. Are there questions that still need to be answered? Sure, but overall I think the Colts are going to perform well in their season opener on the road against the Texans and, fingers crossed, escape injury free.
