The Colts are walking into Sunday’s matchup with Minnesota missing two big names, one on offense and one on defense.
Head coach Shane Steichen ruled out tight end Tyler Warren and cornerback Sauce Gardner for the Week 7 game, and wide receiver Anthony Gould will also sit out because of a concussion.
Warren hasn’t practiced this week after missing the Week 6 loss to the Tennessee Titans with a groin injury. Steichen said Wednesday that the 24-year-old was "progressing well" in his recovery.
Even with the missed game coming, Warren still leads Indianapolis with 30 catches. The former Penn State star opened his second NFL season with touchdown grabs in back-to-back games, but he has only 213 receiving yards so far, and his yards per catch has fallen to 7.1 after sitting at 10.8 as a rookie.
The Colts already got a look at life without him against Tennessee. Will Mallory made his first appearance of the season and finished with two receptions for 20 yards. Mo Alie-Cox turned his lone touch into a 1-yard touchdown, while Daniel Jones never looked Andrew Ogletree’s way across 30 snaps.
Gardner’s absence is just as notable. He will miss the game with a calf injury, though he said the issue is "much more minor" than the calf injury that cost him four of the final five games last season.
"I'm not really concerned," Gardner said Wednesday, per Colts.com's JJ Stankevitz. "I trust our training staff here, and like I said, it's not as bad as last year. I'm just happy that it's not the same spot."
The timing isn’t ideal for Indianapolis, especially with Justin Jefferson and the Vikings coming to town. Gardner has also had a rough season by his standards, with Pro Football Focus saying he has allowed the most yards per reception among cornerbacks at 21.7.
The Colts will try to hand Minnesota its first loss of the season on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
In Other News...
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Shane Steichen, though, is not getting the same benefit of the doubt from everyone. In fan voting, the Colts coach landed tied for second among the first head coach expected to be fired this season, and his security now feels tied directly to what happens next on the field. With the front office already in flux, the pressure on Steichen is only going to sharpen if the team's play does not turn quickly enough. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Is Back In A Colts Debate Fans Dread
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Still, the chatter is hard to ignore because it fits the kind of autumn debate fans hate to hear around a key player. Around the league, the Giants and Vikings have been mentioned as possible landing spots, but Indianapolis is not entertaining trade talks at this point. If the Colts season goes sideways, though, that stance could become a lot more complicated before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Have A Daniel Jones Problem They Cant Ignore
The Colts came out of their loss to the Titans with a familiar issue hanging over the offense, and it was hard to miss where the momentum was coming from. Jonathan Taylor gave Indianapolis a sturdy ground game, piling up 94 rushing yards and a touchdown, while the backs as a group kept churning out yards and helping the offense stay afloat when the passing game never really found its footing.
Daniel Jones admitted he forced plays during the game, and the numbers reflected the frustration. He finished 22 of 42 for 259 yards with two interceptions, a line that put even more pressure on the Colts to think carefully about how they want to move forward, especially when the run game has been the cleaner path. [Read more 🡒]