Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

October 04, 2018 at 1:09 am.

Injury list affects Colts for Thursday game

The Indianapolis Colts have so many injured players entering Thursday night’s visit to Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots, perhaps they should enlist the services of former player greats-turned assistant coaches Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne.

Fact is, the Colts (1-3) haven’t beaten the Patriots (2-2) since Mathis and Wayne were suiting up, a seven-game losing streak that dates back to 2010. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has yet to defeat Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in five games. And Luck is expected to be working with a relatively inexperienced group of pass catchers because Pro Bowl wide receiver T.Y. Hilton likely won’t play due to hamstring and chest injuries.

If the injury list was just Hilton, the challenge would be enough. But the Colts had several gimpy players after losing 37-34 in overtime to Houston at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. The short turnaround is always taxing for players, let alone if they’re hurt. That lengthy list of banged-up Colts who like Hilton are expected to sit this one out also includes tight end Jack Doyle, left tackle Anthony Castonzo, running back Marlon Mack and cornerbacks Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore II.

So what can the Colts do against a team coached by one of the best in NFL history, Bill Belichick, winner of seven Super Bowl rings counting two as an assistant? Not to mention the humbling reality that a young Colts defense must contend with Brady, who has won five Super Bowl rings and is a four-time Super Bowl MVP and three-time NFL MVP. In the past six games against the Colts, Brady has a 111 passer rating with 1,750 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

“Every person individually, do what you need to do to physically get ready for this game,” Colts first-year head coach Frank Reich said of his message to players.

Although the final injury report and playing designations won’t be released until Wednesday, Reich basically said Hilton would be sidelined.

“We will miss T.Y., but at the same time you have to have the next man up mentality,” Reich said.

The situation has been so dire, the Colts just had walk-through practice sessions on Monday or Tuesday. Reich said Wednesday would be another walk-through, too. The injury report designations have been estimates on if the Colts would have practiced in full pads.

Asked the likelihood of many players being game-time decisions, Reich said, “Yeah it really is. Just really trying to get a handle on how quickly guys can recover and who will be ready and who won’t.”

The Patriots are coming off a 38-7 home rout of Miami. They could be without All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, who hasn’t practiced due to an ankle injury and is expected to be questionable.

The Colts are at least 10-point underdogs, according to most oddsmakers.

“Obviously the coaches, they take care of us physically,” Luck said. “You have to adjust as professionals. We know what we need to do to be ready to go Thursday night at kickoff with no excuses for it being a short week. Both teams are in the same boat, so I think I have a good plan. I think I have recovered well from the game. I think guys have recovered well and as we switched gears – especially early Monday, you just start switching gears to preparing.”

Without Hilton, the Colts still managed to rally from an 18-point deficit to tie the Texans in the final minute and force overtime. Luck still thrived because Reich’s offense is all about getting rid of the ball quickly and spreading the ball around. Luck has completed passes to 12 different receivers, not counting center Ryan Kelly, who grabbed a deflected ball and was tackled for a four-yard loss.

“Everybody is a playmaker in this group, Ryan (Grant), Marcus (Johnson), Zach (Pascal),” said Chester Rogers of the wide receiver group. “It showed last game, but I mean if you go through this offense everybody has a chance to make plays. So, I mean I think that is going to be on display Thursday.”

Luck completed a record 40 of 62 passes against the Texans and his 464 passing yards were eight shy of Peyton Manning’s team mark. In the second half, he completed 20 of 25 passes for 247 yards and three of his four touchdowns.

Rogers, a third-year pro, had a career-high eight receptions. Pascal, in his first season, caught his first NFL touchdown pass. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox, promoted from the practice squad on Friday, as well as second-year wide receiver Marcus Johnson caught their first passes for the Colts.

“They are unfazed,” Luck said of his receivers. “They go out and they prepare well. They go out and when their time or their number is called, they make the most of the opportunity. We will continue to grow and we will continue to get better, but I’m glad we are in the same corner.”

SERIES HISTORY: 76th regular-season meeting. Patriots lead series, 47-28. The Patriots have won the last five regular-season games as well as two in the playoffs, including at home in an AFC Championship Game in the 2014 postseason. That was the infamous “DeflateGate” game that led to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady being suspended for four games. Colts fans prefer to remember defeating the visiting Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at the RCA Dome in the 2006 postseason. That Peyton Manning-led Colts team went on to win Super Bowl XLI.