The Indianapolis Colts will announce their official injury report for Week 5 on Friday afternoon (and this article will be updated with that information), but head coach Shane Steichen was keeping wide receiver Keenan Allen's availability a mystery. That is the Indy way, of course.
Allen missed Week 4 with a groin injury and was limited in practice this week. The veteran wideout was expected to replace the traded Michael Pittman Jr.'s productivity to a degree, and hasn't. No worries for Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, though. That is where Pittman was traded, and he is out with an injury of his own.
While Steichen told the media that wide receiver Ashton Dulin (hamstring), edge rusher Arden Key (hamstring), and linebacker Jaylon Carlies (ribs) are all out against Pittsburgh, Allen and center Tanor Bortolini are yet to be determined. That sly Steichen likes to pretend that injuries are like nuclear codes, of course. Can't be giving that information out willy-nilly.
Indianapolis Colts' Shane Steichen refuses to confirm whether Keenan Allen will play in Week 5
Allen's lack of known information implies that he would be limited in the best-case scenario. Does that mean that recently signed Darius Slayton will finally get a chance to play after being inactive in the last two games? The Colts won't tell us either way.
After all, when it comes to any sniff of injury information or who might play in an upcoming game, the decision-makers for Indianapolis must think that a football game is the most important thing on the planet. Maybe for them, it is.
After all, while the Indianapolis Colts are 2-2 after winning two straight games and facing a Steelers team that is far from top form, Indy needs to make the playoffs for Steichen and, one presumes, general manager Chris Ballard to keep their jobs. Everything about the next game, including injuries, is a decision about their personal financial security. They seem to forget fans aren't as obsessed.
Not that any of that truly matters in terms of winning or losing in Week 5. Keenan Allen missed Week 4, and Indianapolis defeated an even more wounded Washington Commanders team fairly easily. Allen, of course, hasn't been very good this season so far, so if he misses another game, it might not even matter.
As for Tanor Bortolini, though, if he misses the game, that could affect the offense more than Allen's absence. The backup center spot is a concern, and as quarterback Daniel Jones has already had many turnover worries, having a backup center isn't going to make things easier.
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