The Colts walk into Week 7 with the same problem they had a week ago and a tougher opponent waiting on the other side. After losing to the previously winless Tennessee Titans in Week 6, Indianapolis now gets the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings, and the setup is not exactly friendly for a team trying to stop the slide.
There is at least some hope around Indianapolis that the mood can change quickly. As Shane Steichen likes to say, "There is still a lot of football left to play."
The injury picture only makes the challenge tougher for the Colts. Sauce Gardner has been ruled out with a calf injury and is week-to-week.
He had already dealt with an injury to the same leg in 2025, which cost him several games. Tyler Warren is also out, and that matters in a big way with Daniel Jones under pressure; Warren would have been a strong outlet option.
Anthony Gould is also among the inactives, with the rest of the list set to be finalized an hour and a half before kickoff.
Minnesota’s inactive list will be updated then as well, but the important part for Indianapolis is simple: the Vikings are healthy where it counts. They are not handing the Colts any help.
For fans trying to catch the game, it will air in Indianapolis on channel 4 (WTTV) and will be the featured game across most of Indianapolis and up through the upper midwest. Outside that area, it can be watched and streamed through YouTubeTV’s Sunday Ticket. It is also available to stream in Indianapolis on NFL+.
The biggest pressure point for the Colts may be Shane Steichen himself. He was hired in 2023 for his offensive mind, and the early returns have been mixed in a familiar way: strong opening stretches, then fading production as games wear on.
Indianapolis has often been near the top of the league in first-quarter scoring, but those numbers don’t hold up later. Now he faces Brian Flores and a Vikings defense that can make life miserable if the offense stalls again.
Daniel Jones is another major question. Minnesota blitzes aggressively, and the Colts already had a brutal experience with that style in Week 6 against Tennessee, when Jones was sacked six times and hit 11 times.
If that happens again, the game could unravel fast. Jones has been so poor this season that questions about a change have already started, but the last thing anyone wants is for injury to become the reason.
Anthony Richardson is not viewed as a clear upgrade.
Then there is the post-Chris Ballard reality. His firing came after nine years without real success, and much of this roster was built under his watch.
Whether that changes how the team plays is the open question. The immediate answer may be no, but emotion is part of football, and these situations can sometimes pull a group tighter.
A win over Minnesota would be a surprise, but it would also feel like a meaningful turn.
The Colts are projected to keep it closer than the matchup suggests, but not close enough to flip the result. Jonathan Taylor is expected to be featured early, and that makes sense if Indianapolis wants to protect Jones and keep the offense on schedule. Still, Minnesota’s defense, led by Flores, figures to create problems for a Gardner-less secondary and a Colts team trying to find its footing.
Prediction: Vikings 25, Colts 16.
In Other News...
Tank Dells Return Could Change More For Texans Than Just One Spot
Tank Dell is on the verge of getting back into the Texans lineup after the knee injury that sidelined him, and the timing matters beyond just one players box score. DeMeco Ryans has made clear that what Houston values most is Dells involvement, not simply how many snaps he can handle right away, which is a reminder that the receivers return could ripple through an offense still sorting out its shape.
For a Colts team watching the AFC South, Dells comeback is another development worth tracking because Houston is trying to regain a piece that changes spacing, timing and the way defenses have to prepare. Indianapolis also has its own sideline noise, from DeForest Buckner brushing off trade speculation as he stays locked in on the Vikings to the larger chatter around the division, but Dells return may end up mattering more than the conversation around it. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Bigger Injury Concern Before Minnesota
The Colts roster shuffle for Sundays matchup with the Vikings added another layer to an already delicate injury situation. Indianapolis elevated linebacker Germaine Pratt and cornerback Kenneth Harris from the practice squad to the active roster, a sign the team is preparing for life without some important depth pieces as it heads into Minnesota.
Those moves come as the Colts try to navigate injuries at linebacker and corner, with rookie CJ Allen, Sauce Gardner and Justin Walley all part of the concern. Indianapolis also moved on from punter Thomas Morstead after Rigoberto Sanchezs injury designation was removed, trimming one temporary insurance plan even as the bigger question remains how stable the defense will be when the game kicks off. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Suddenly Have A Blockbuster RB Question To Answer
Jonathan Taylors name has suddenly drifted into the trade conversation after ESPNs Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported that the Packers, Seahawks and Broncos are among the teams weighing a possible deal for the Colts running back. It is a notable twist for a player who signed an extension with Indianapolis this year and has already appeared in six games this season, especially with the franchise in a moment of change after firing GM Chris Ballard.
For Denver, the question is whether it wants to turn a passing interest into something more serious if Indianapolis decides to listen on veterans. The Colts internal picture is not entirely clear, either, since owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon reportedly still sees Taylor as a key part of the organization moving forward, leaving any potential move caught between a roster reset and a player the team may still want to build around. [Read more 🡒]