Spencer Shrader gave the Colts exactly the kind of day a kicker dreams about - and he did it while dealing with a groin injury that surfaced before kickoff.
Shrader went a flawless 4-for-4 on field goals, connecting from 39, 58, 37 and 53 yards to help end the Colts’ losing streak. The injury happened during warmups, right in the middle of his routine.
“It was going actually really well, and then about halfway through my set I felt something,” Shrader said.
From there, he leaned on the training staff, got wrapped up and went right back to work. The result was one of the cleanest kicking performances of the day.
Shrader also broke down the mindset that carries him through those pressure moments. He keeps himself steady until the ball clears the uprights, then lets the emotion hit.
“Everything explodes,” he said of the celebration. “Seeing everyone all hyped up is one of the best feelings in the world.”
That ability to reset didn’t come from nowhere. Shrader said a difficult training camp tested him, but he kept coming back to the same approach: prepare as best you can, then surrender the outcome.
There’s also a local angle to the story. Shrader grew up in Westfield and now lives just minutes away in South Carmel. Before reaching the NFL, he was a former soccer player who walked on at USF.
And now he’s turned himself into a real weapon. With a range that stretches beyond 70 yards, Shrader has given the Colts a kicker they can trust - and after this kind of day, his hometown has even more reason to be proud.
In Other News...
Colts May Be Running Out Of Anthony Richardson Options
The quarterback market got a little more complicated with Minnesota sending J.J. McCarthy to the Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick, a move that ripples beyond those two teams and into Indianapolis. For the Colts, it is another reminder that the value of young passers can shift quickly, even when the player in question is no longer in line to start. Anthony Richardson remains in a backup role, but his name still sits in the trade conversation because of his age, draft pedigree and the uncertainty around his long-term fit.
For Indianapolis, though, the bigger issue may be whether there is enough real interest to make a deal worthwhile. Richardson has been discussed as a potential trade candidate, but the pool of teams willing to make a meaningful offer could be thinning rather than growing. If that is the case, the Colts may end up doing what once seemed unlikely and simply holding onto him, even as the league keeps searching for the next quarterback bargain. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Have Found A Defensive Answer At The Perfect Time
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The Colts are 1-2, and the schedule ahead figures to keep testing them in different ways, from offenses built on the pass to groups that lean on a more varied attack. Adebawores development, and the likelihood that his role keeps growing, gives Indianapolis a useful piece at exactly the right moment. If he keeps affecting quarterbacks the way he did last week, the Colts may have found a defensive spark they can lean on. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Downs Is Becoming The Colts Passing Game Safety Valve
Josh Downs has quietly moved from promising slot target to one of the most dependable parts of the Colts' passing game, and the timing could hardly be better. With other receivers banged up, Indianapolis has leaned harder on him over the last two weeks, and he has responded with steady volume, reliable hands and a growing role in the offense's weekly game plan.
The encouraging part for the Colts is not just that Downs is getting the ball, but that he is doing more with it in the situations where offenses often stall. He has been better on third downs and has held up against the blitz, giving the passing game a safety valve when the protection gets stressed and the options narrow. For a team still sorting through injuries and adjustments, that kind of trust can matter as much as any big-play threat. [Read more 🡒]