The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a 33-8 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 but if they want to repeat their success they will have to do without a few key starters including second-year edge rusher Laiatu Latu.
Latu has been dealing with a hamstring injury all week, he was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice but did not suit up for Thursday or Friday. He was listed as questionable coming into Sunday’s contest against the Denver Broncos and has now been ruled out for good.
Latu had four sacks and 32 tackles as a rookie and built off his strong start against the Dolphins by intercepting a pass in the blowout win.
Charvarius Ward and Jaylon Jones Ruled Out
Another big blow for the Colts comes in the form of veteran cornerback Charvarius Ward. Ward was unable to clear concussion protocol this week and will not play.
He joins fellow starting cornerback Jaylon Jones on the sideline. Jones was placed on the injured reserve yesterday with a serious hamstring injury. He will not be sidelined until at least Week 5.
The secondary will be significantly hobbled against a Broncos’ passing attack that threw for just 176 yards in a 20-12 Week 1 win over Cam Ward’s Tennessee Titans.
Fans can expect to see significant playing time from free agent signing Mekhi Blackmon in Ward’s absence. The third-year corner made three tackles in his debut with the Colts’ last week.
Former All Pro Xavien Howard will likely draw Denver’s biggest threat, Courtland Sutton.
Third Year Back Tyler Goodson Out Again
Tyler Goodson, a deep depth piece in a now loaded Colts’ backfield, will miss today’s game with an elbow injury. He did not play in last weeks offensive trouncing of the Dolphins either, instead his work was relegated to rookie DJ Giddens.
Giddens saw 12 carries in his NFL debut. He was able to put together 41 yards on the ground with a long of 12.
Jonathan Taylor saw his usual workload, and the team even went deep down the depth chart giving undrafted rookie free agent Ulysses Bentley IV a carry in the win.
Bentley is a 5’10” rookie out of Ole Miss and it looks like his presence, along with Giddens, is making up for the gap left by Goodson.
When he returns it will be interesting to see how he fares in this offense with an explosive rookie like Giddens. Bentley will likely be the odd man out.
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