The Indianapolis Colts just dropped their Friday injury report for Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it’s a rough one. They’re officially without three key players, and three more are listed as questionable, potentially ripping holes in both sides of the ball for Sunday’s matchup.
Three Major Blows to the Colts’ Lineup Against the Steelers
First up, linebacker Jaylon Carlies is straight up OUT for Sunday. The dude injured his ribs against the Commanders last week and hasn’t been able to practice all week. Rookie Bryce Boettcher is stepping up to start in his place. Then you’ve got wide receiver Ashton Dulin also ruled OUT with a hamstring injury. This isn’t just a one-off for Dulin either, he’s missed three games already this season because of this same hamstring issue and hasn’t practiced all week. But the biggest hit on defense might be Arden Key. The defensive end has a hamstring injury too, and he’s not just out for Sunday, he looks set to miss multiple weeks. That’s a huge problem. We’ll see JT Tuimoloau get the start in his spot. Losing three guys like that, two on defense, is a massive headache heading into a Steelers game.
Question Marks Everywhere, Especially in the Secondary
It doesn’t stop with the OUTs, though. The Colts have three more players listed as QUESTIONABLE, and these are some big names. Wide receiver Keenan Allen is dealing with a groin injury that kept him out of last week’s game, and he’s been limited in practice twice this week. You wonder how effective he’ll even be if he does suit up. Then there’s Darius Slayton, another wide receiver, who’s questionable with a knee injury. What’s wild is he already missed two games as a healthy scratch, and now this knee might make it three. Honestly, he’s not exactly lighting up the offense anyway. But the real concern here has got to be cornerback Charvarius Ward. He’s also questionable with a groin injury and was limited twice in practice. The good news is he played through it last week and had full participation on Friday, which sounds promising. But if Ward can’t go, it’s going to absolutely tear apart the depth at corner. That’s a spot you cannot afford to be thin against any NFL offense.
This team needs to figure out who’s actually going to hit the field on Sunday against the Steelers and fast. With so many questions on both sides, it’s going to be a real test of their depth and coaching to manage these injuries and still put up a fight. Big game ahead.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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