The Indianapolis Colts entered Week 5 seemingly slightly ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders in the injury race. Vegas was going to miss left tackle Kolton Miller, of course. Indy should take advantage of Stone Forsythe playing that spot.
But in Indianapolis's final injury report for Friday, things took a bad turn. Adonai Mitchell made two critical mistakes in Week 4 in place of fellow wide receiver Alec Pierce, but Mitchell might have to pick up those reps again. That is, if head coach Shane Steichen lets him.
Pierce suffered a concussion in Week 3 and missed Week 4. He was able to practice in the days ahead of the Raiders game, but he must have had some kind of setback. He was ruled out for Week 5. Pierce is no stranger to concussions, unfortunately, as he has had three of them since he was a rookie in 2022.
Indianapolis Colts will be missing a few players against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5
Keeping Pierce out of the game is the smart move. The real question for the receiver as a human being is how much longer he should keep playing. Three concussions can be life-altering in later years. A fourth concussion should have Pierce seriously questioning how many more years he needs to play.
What Shane Steichen needs to seriously consider is whether to play AD Mitchell much. He should. The former second-round draft pick is not without talent, but his issues in Week 4 (fumbling a sure touchdown, costing the team another touchdown with a holding penalty) were as mentally affecting as physically.
#Colts WR Alec Pierce (concussion), CB Kenny Moore II (achilles), RB Tyler Goodson (groin) and S Daniel Scott (knee) are OUT for Sunday's game against the #Raiders.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 3, 2025
Pierce had a setback, per HC Shane Steichen. Steichen was still noncommittal about AD Mitchell playing this week.
Thankfully, the Indianapolis Colts have a deep wide receiver pool, plus rookie tight end Tyler Warren has been tremendous. Losing Pierce isn't massively detrimental, even if Mitchell doesn't play much.
Slot corner Kenny Moore II is also out with an Achilles injury, but that was expected. He could miss several weeks, which is why Indy signed veteran Mike Hilton last week.
Running back Tyler Goodson is out with a groin issue, but Jonathan Taylor is clearly the alpha of the RB room. Rookie DJ Giddens showed some promise in Week 1, too. The Colts should be fine in that department.
Backup safety Daniel Scott will miss the game with a knee injury, but thankfully, starters Nick Cross and Cam Bynum have been terrific so far. Even with missing Pierce, the Colts are in a better position health-wise than the Las Vegas Raiders.