Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. Downgraded to Out vs. Jaguars
The Indianapolis Colts enter Week 2 dealing with some crucial injuries, and they just downgraded one of those injured players to out for their matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Top wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who is nursing a quad injury, will not be on the field for the Colts' AFC South showdown in Jacksonville.
Pittman made it through the Colts' Week 1 tie with the Houston Texans unscathed after a terrific performance where he caught 9 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. However, he began the week of practice as a limited participant on Wednesday before being unable to participate on Thursday and Friday.
“What we think happened is, not really sure to be honest with you," Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters on Friday when asked how Pittman's injury happened. "He just came out to practice on Wednesday and felt something on Wednesday that he didn’t feel after the game or anything like that. It was like, ‘Well, what the heck is going on here?’ So, took him out of practice mainly as a precaution. So whether it came from a hit from the game or whether it came from a little strain or something early in practice – really not sure to be honest with you.”
After initially being listed as questionable, Pittman is now the second Colts wide receiver to be ruled out of Sunday's game. Rookie Alec Pierce was unable to clear the concussion protocol in time, leaving the team without its top two outside receivers.
Without Pittman and Pierce, look for Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin, and Mike Strachan to have much bigger roles, with Dezmon Patmon providing support as well. The Colts can also called up receiver Keke Coutee from the practice squad on Saturday.
The Colts will also be without linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back). A pair of Pro Bowlers in defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (hip) and cornerback Kenny Moore II (hip) are listed as questionable.
The Colts play the Jaguars on Sunday at 1:00pm ET.
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