–Defensive tackle Denico Autry, named AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, said it was only a matter of time before he returned to health and started making plays. He missed games in Week 2 and Week 3 with an ankle injury, then sat out Week 6 and 7 with a hamstring issue. In the last two games, he’s had five sacks, 11 tackles and two forced fumbles. He now leads the Colts with eight sacks.
–Center Ryan Kelly practiced for the first time in three weeks on a limited basis Wednesday. He’s breaking in a left knee brace to stabilize a sprained medial collateral ligament. “I think we have done everything we had to do, checked all the boxes off the last week and even early this week,” he said. “I feel confident I am good to go. I couldn’t go out there if I wasn’t feeling at least able to do everything I can do. There’s obviously going to be a little pain here and there, but you’ve got to push through it.”
–Quarterback Andrew Luck has completed a career-best 67.7 percent of his passes for 3,759 yards with 34 TDs and 13 interceptions and is one of the top candidates for NFL Comeback Player of the Year. What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, his career was in doubt and he decided he needed to get away from everything. He was in the Netherlands.
“Yeah, it was working out a couple times a day, doing treatment a couple times a day, eating lunch, taking a nap – not doing much to be honest,” Luck said with a chuckle. “It was a very simple existence.”
And that time away made him appreciate the game more. “Yeah, I do,” he said. “As I’ve said before this year, my perspective on this game is certainly different. I appreciate being in the locker room. I certainly appreciate my teammates more. I think that’s a special thing you get in this sport of football, to be in a locker room like this. (I’m) thankful to be playing, thankful to be pain free and thankful to be able to play a game that I love.”
–Another thankful player is rookie linebacker Darius Leonard, who has his head coach believing there’s no such thing as a rookie wall with the second-round selection who leads the NFL with 135 tackles. “No, you almost see the exact opposite with him, you really do,” head coach Frank Reich said of his best tackler still going strong after a 12-tackle game on Sunday. “He’s taking care of his body and doing it the right way.” Leonard adds, “I play this game 110 percent, no matter who I’m playing against.”
–The Colts’ eighth-ranked rushing defense will be put to the test the next two weeks by Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Giants running back Saquon Barkley. The Cowboys are No. 6 in rushing offense. “I mean these guys are the best, so it will be a great challenge,” Reich said. “It’s going to take every person over there, but I think defenses like that challenge. I know our defense will like that challenge. It’s not going to be easy, they are going to get some runs. If ‘Zeke’ has 95 yards that might be considered a win, you know what I mean? That might be considered a win.”
–Reich conceded that coaches have had extensive conversations with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who knows the Cowboys well after serving six years as a linebackers coach through last season. “We talked a fair amount and (offensive coordinator) Nick (Sirianni) spent a lot of time with him,” Reich said of Eberflus. “Just personnel, just a few things, probably a little bit more than normal, yes.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 – Receptions needed for T.Y. Hilton to pass Reggie Wayne (494) for the second-most catches in franchise history for the first seven seasons. Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison had 665.
