Ward Injury Extremely Concerning for Indianapolis Colts

Who can recall the last time that a team lost two name-brand players in pre-game warmups in an NFL game? The Indianapolis Colts have achieved just that today as they prepared to take on the visiting Arizona Cardinals.

About an hour ago we learned that former fourth-overall draft pick Anthony Richardson was listed as inactive today after suffering an eye injury before the game. Okay, that can happen.

But now, word comes out that cornerback Charvarius Ward will also be out today after he suffered a concussion in pre-game warmups. This begs the question: what in the hell are the Colts doing in these warmups?

Seriously, is it like a Medieval Times situation with helmet-less jousting competitions?

Concussion for Charvarius Ward could be a serious problem

Ward has played and started in four games for the Colts so far this season. He has 13 tackles and three passes defended. He’s been playing well and the Colts certainly need him.

If you were wondering what happened earlier in the season and why he’s only played in four games instead of five, then the concussion news is concerning.

Ward missed Week 2 against the Denver Broncos with, you guessed it, a concussion. It’s not known how serious this concussion is, but the fact that he now has two about a month apart could be a real issue.

Along with Charvarius Ward, Richardson is out of the game too

As previously mentioned, quarterback Anthony Richardson will also miss today’s game against the Cardinals. He suffered an eye injury prior to game and Riley Leonard is Daniel Jones’ backup for the afternoon.

That probably doesn’t concern head coach Shane Steichen too much, nor should it. First of all, the Cardinals shouldn’t be too much trouble for the 4-1 Colts he has much bigger problems if Jones goes down.

“They do a phenomenal job,” Steichen said. “I think they’re very multiple in what they do. Got different looks that we got to be prepared for.”

Jones said the same thing when talking about the vaunted Jonathan Gannon-led Cardinals defense.

“(They) play a multitude of different looks, and force you to communicate well on offense and make sure you identify what they’re doing well and you’re kind of all on the same page as a group,” Jones said. “You can tell they’re well-coached, a smart team. They present kind of some unique and nontraditional looks. And for us, we got to do a good job identifying it, communicating clearly and then executing.”

Even if the Ward injury were to become a shootout, Jones and the offense will be fine. Even with Marvin Harrison, Jr., the Cardinals are starting journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett. It’s probably not a stretch to think that his effectiveness will be extremely limited.

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