The Colts head back this week against the division rival Tennessee Titans. The Titans season is a lost one, with no chance of making the postseason. The Colts have a slim chance of making the playoffs, but if they want any chance at all, they have to win on Sunday. They will need to win the rest of their games, and get some help from other teams. Their motivation is only known within the walls of the locker room, but it's assumed they will keep grinding until officially eliminated.
Colts Injury Report
The injury report improved from Wednesday to Thursday, but we have seen some names that will potentially return. The surprising names that are trending towards missing are E.J. Speed and Mo Alie-Cox. The names trending towards returning are Ryan Kelly, Jaylon Carlies, and potentially JuJu Brents. They opened the 21-day activation window on Carlies and Kelly last week, and Brents got his window opened this week.
Don't expect Steichen or this staff to give away anything about this game injury. Steichen is known for his "coach speak" when it comes to injuries, and it's a division game, so they will give even less. Carlies showed some flashes early in the season with his play. Veteran Grant Stuard has been terrific in his absence. Whether or not Carlies returns to the starting lineup won't be known until closer to kickoff.
The Importance Of Snaps
While many teams would keep season-long injured players on the sidelines when the team is either eliminated or nearly eliminated, the Colts are in a unique situation as they head to end of the regular season. It is currently up in the air as to who will be making the decisions for personnel, and who will be coaching. My money says as long as they don't collapse these final games, nearly everyone returns. However, I would not be surprised to see them make a change if they struggle down the stretch.
While Carlies has seen some action this season early on, it has been Brents that has missed significant time. Brents has been on the Colts roster for 31 games total, but only played in 10 of those games. He missed camp with a wrist injury his rookie season, and then missed time in the season with a shoulder injury. This season, he sustained a knee injury early on, and has not seen the field since. While both Carlies and Brents need the snaps, its more of a need for Brents. To be two years into your NFL career and only play 10 games, you have to get as many snaps as you can. With the failed physical of Ambry Thomas this week, Brents can re-establish himself as the offseason outside starting corner with a strong finish to the season.