Reich: Colts 'Can't Allow' COVID Issues To Become A Distraction Down The Stretch

With 14 players total on the Reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the Week 17 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts' head coach Frank Reich states that the issues cannot become a distraction for his team. (Video via Indianapolis Colts YouTube)

What appeared to be a serious issue ahead of the Christmas Day matchup against the Arizona Cardinals is only getting worse for the Indianapolis Colts as six more players landed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Monday. 

As of Monday afternoon, the following players were already on the Reserve/COVID-19 list:

• G Mark Glowinski
• LB Darius Leonard
• G Quenton Nelson
• WR Zach Pascal
• DE Kemoko Turay
• S Khari Willis
• CB Rock Ya-Sin
• TE Farrod Green (practice squad)

Those eight players were then joined by the following six, pushing the Colts' total to 14 ahead of the Week 17 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

• S Jahleel Addae
• CB T.J. Carrie
• LB Malik Jefferson
• RB Marlon Mack
• T Braden Smith
• CB Chris Wilcox (practice squad)

On the road on Christmas Day, the Colts surprisingly overcame the absences of Glowinski, Pascal, and Nelson on offense, and Leonard, Turay, Willis and Ya-Sin on defense to beat the Arizona Cardinals, 22-16, in a game in which an astounding 13 players saw a serious uptick in playing time. 

Credit to the Colts though, who were unfazed by the absences, taking care of business on the road against one of the top teams in the NFC with a depleted roster. 

© Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

"We talked about it after practice one day last week, but everybody has to be ready to play winning football," head coach Frank Reich said to reporters Monday, according to video via Colts.com. "And that's what we got. Guys stepped up at multiple positions and did a great job. Looking at film from the game, very happy how those guys who had to step up and play, very happy with how they played. And even more importantly, very happy with how we responded as a team and had each other's back. It didn't have to be perfect but just make the plays necessary to win the game.

“Like you said, I think they’re pretty dialed in to it, but it certainly does reinforce it," Reich added. "We talked about it after practice one day last week, that everybody has to be ready to play winning football and that’s what we got. Guys stepped up at multiple positions and did a great job. Looking at the film from the game, very happy how those guys who had to step up and play, very happy with how they played. Even more importantly, just more happy about how we responded as a team. (We) had each other’s back, didn’t have to be perfect but just make the plays necessary to win the game.”

With another large round of players landing on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday afternoon, leaving the Colts' roster short-handed even further, Reich and the Colts will have to continue to adjust and not let the ever-evolving changes lead to distractions.

Currently, the Colts have one of the higher rates of unvaccinated players across the league, according to Reich. How that is affecting the number of players landing on the Reserve/COVID-19 list is unclear.

© Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

One thing is for certain though: Reich is the right man to lead this team through these choppy waters, keeping the group focused on the task at hand, which is playing winning football down the stretch. 

“It’s hard to tell [if unvaccinated players are having a role in the outbreak]," Reich said. "It’s interesting, since we have more unvaccinated players than average – I don’t know where we end up falling in that poll but obviously below the midline. Yet, we were one of the last teams to have somebody test positive. So, I think we were showing that our players, our organization were doing a lot of things right. At some level you feel like it’s going to catch up to you eventually. Not just the vaccinated, unvaccinated question but just in general with how ramped it seems and it’s unfortunate for everybody. 

"First and foremost, we’re most concerned about people’s health, and the effect that it can have not only on the person who contracts it but who they can pass it to and family members and people who are in compromised positions," Reich added. "That’s always our first priority. Then when it comes to football, this is what we talk about as a team. This is what we prepare for. This is what we prepare for, for hitting adversity like this, things you don’t expect but this is probably in the category of something that we could expect and that it would just be a matter of time before it was going to hit us. So, we just need to continue to focus at a very high level. Can’t allow this to be a distraction, understand how important it is and let’s just stay focused on what we have to do.”

Have thoughts on Frank Reich's message to his team and the fan base regarding the COVID-19 issues within the team at the moment? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!

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