A slew of starters are out with others listed as questionable.
The defensive unit for the Indianapolis Colts has had a rough start to the season. They were gashed in the first two weeks, particularly on the ground and couldn’t seem to get off the field. They tightened things up against the Bears, but how much of that had to do with the self-inflicted struggles of the opponent’s offense is yet to be seen. The unit wasn’t stellar in 2023, and the same unit was brought back this year. Take a bad unit and add injuries, and it goes from bad to worse. The injury report for that side of the ball isn’t looking favorable heading into a week four clash against the Steelers.
JuJu Brents is out for the majority, if not all, of the season. He has flashed potential but can’t find a way to stay on the field for long stretches. A thin group at cornerback took a heavy blow with his depature. While Brents was important, losing DeForest Buckner meant the team would be without one its major leaders. His injury isn’t expected to be anything serious, but after missing last week’s game, he is still not cleared for this one. His monsterous presence in the middle will surely be missed.
All of that was in the past. We knew that going into this week’s game. It is the additional news stacked on top that is most concerning. Now, Kenny Moore II and Kwity Paye are listed as out with Chris Lammons and Tyquan Lewis listed as questionable. Lammons was brought in to help boster the cornerback position but with Brents, Moore, and possibly himself out, I am not sure what the Colts are going to do. It gets dire on the outside quickly, but it also gets tough in the trenches too with Paye and Lewis both potentially sidelined. That is a lot of starters to do without on a unit that has looked less than superior through three weeks.
Questionable on the injury report tends to lend itself towards the player suiting up, but it is no guarantee. The Colts are going to hope both questionable players are ready to go because there aren’t enough warm bodies at this point. The Steelers have been good on the season, so facing them with half a team of second stringers isn’t going to work to slow them down. We will see what happens, but this team needs to get healthy in a major way.
