The Indianapolis Colts absolutely pasted the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday 40-6. After going up by a field goal early, it was an absolute nightmare for the Raiders for the rest of the game.
And, while the Colts ran away with the game, they may have lost something important. Kicker Spencer Shrader was hit in the leg on an extra point attempt in the second quarter and he went down in pain.
Yes, it was the kind of injury where the team comes out and gathers around the player and some take a knee. It was that kind.
“It doesn’t look good, but I don’t have the full update,” head coach Shane Steichen said after the game.
Shrader limped off under his own power, but he was limping heavily.
Teammate worried about Spencer Shrader following knee injury
Shrader’s long snapper and biggest cheerleader Luke Rhodes was devastated after the injury. Long snappers, kickers and punters tend to be quite close since they spend so much time together. You know, they probably eat together in the cafeteria every day or something.
“I saw him at halftime, he’s pretty shaken up,” Rhodes said following the win. “Just hate to see it. He was kicking obviously really good, he’s a really good kid in the locker room, works hard every day. Has the right mindset, and just hate it for him.”
This is a rough break for Shrader, who bounced around the league with three different teams in 2024.
“I just prayed for him at halftime,” Rhodes said. “(I told him) to continue the mindset that he had coming in, now with attacking recovery. and just getting back to it. He’ll be okay. He’s a tough kid, got a good head, he’ll do what he needs to do to get healthy, and when he comes back it’ll be great.”
Spencer Shrader just won a major award last week
Before the stomping against the Raiders, Shrader was brilliant in his first four games. He converted 13 of his 14 field goal attempts and all 12 of his extra points.
On Wednesday, he found out that he had won AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September.
“Luke (Rhodes) and Rigo (Sanchez) figured out that I got ‘Special Teams Player of the Month’ before I did,” Shrader said. “And their reaction was awesome. They were just so excited and so happy. And it made me feel good to bring those guys joy.”
It’s a little tougher to write about his excitement now knowing what happened to him today.
“It’s been a blessing,” he said last week. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Shrader seemed genuinely excited that Rhodes and Sanchez were so happy. Especially Rhodes, because his snaps directly impact Shrader’s success on the football field.
“Their reaction was awesome,” he said. “They’re just so excited and so happy. It made me feel good to bring those guys joy, and from that circle on to the team as a whole.”
We probably won’t get more information on the extent of Shrader’s injury and how much time he could miss until tomorrow, so stay tuned.
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