Germaine Pratt was in Indianapolis on October 5th as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders defense that gave up 40 points in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The next day, Pratt was released by the Raiders. Not to say he alone was responsible for allowing so many points, but the move was made, nonetheless.
The Colts had to place linebacker Joe Bachie on injured reserve, leaving the team in need of a replacement. Germaine previously played for Indianapolis defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo when both were in Cincinnati, and the Colts signed Pratt to a one-year deal just two days after his release from the Raiders.
Pratt was a force against the Arizona Cardinals and wasted no time in making an impact with Indianapolis. He led the team with 11 total tackles, eight of which were solo tackles. One of those tackles may seem rather innocuous, but it turned out to be huge considering what happened on the following play.
Germaine Pratt makes an instant impact as a member of the Indianapolis Colts' defense
Early in the second quarter, Arizona took over deep in Colts territory after picking off a Daniel Jones pass in a game tied at 7-7. On the first play after the turnover, Cardinals quarterback Jacobie Brissett found Trey McBride on an 11-yard pass to the Indianapolis 16-yard line. Pratt made the tackle on the play when it looked like McBride might pick up more yardage.
On the very next play, the Colts would intercept a Brissett pass at the 4-yard line and return it nine yards. Indianapolis took over at its own 13-yard line and would utilize a nine-play, 87-yard drive capped off by Daniel Jones' touchdown run to put the Colts up by seven. In a game that would go back and forth, the tackle by Pratt was crucial.
Linebackers are crucial to stopping the run game, and this is another area where Pratt's signing proved to be beneficial. The Colts' defense held the Arizona running game to just 88 yards rushing on the day. The Cardinals' longest run of the game was 12 yards. This was another key in the Colts' victory against Arizona.
It is often said that when one door closes, another door opens. Such is the case for Germaine Pratt. In the span of a few days, he went from being released by a team whose defense had just been gashed for 40 points to playing on a Colts team looking more and more like a playoff contender.