#indianapolis-colts

#indianapolis-colts

"It's almost like a slap in my face, bro," "I ain't gonna lie." "Did Philip Rivers send any type of sign that he was available?" "Why you asking me to do something that everybody else didn't do? I ain't no sucker. I ain't no lab rat. Come on, bro."

Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen was still processing the devastating loss of starting quarterback Daniel Jones when he was blindsided by another QB injury. Monday morning -- in the aftermath of a consequential loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars in which Jones sustained a torn right Achilles tendon -- backup signal-caller Riley Leonard reported to work with a sore right knee from the previous day's game. Now, Leonard's status was in question.

"Overall, for him, coming back, not having played in a few weeks, he did a really nice job," Ryans said. "If this is where he started, it's only up for him. So, I'm excited to see how he continues to progress."

They have had the NFL's top-producing offense for weeks. They'd also enjoyed the largest point differential in the league, having been on the right side of several blowouts. But on Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Colts left Acrisure Stadium trying to explain a six-turnover performance in their ugliest game of the season. The lessons from this 27-20 loss to the Steelers will be harder to swallow. But they can also be useful if put to use in the right way.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts have ruled out wide receiver Josh Downs and cornerback Charvarius Ward for Sunday's road game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of their respective concussions. Downs sustained a concussion in last weekend's win over the Arizona Cardinals, first experiencing symptoms Monday. Ward sustained his second concussion of the season during pregame warmups Sunday when he collided with tight end Drew Ogletree.

It has become a strangely familiar sight: A player streaking toward the end zone, well beyond the reach of defenders, a touchdown looking like a certainty. And then ... Just before crossing the goal line, the ball carrier suffers a massive lapse in judgment and drops the ball, then sometimes tries to recover it as it bounces out of the back of the end zone. After a review, the apparent touchdown is overturned and changed to a touchback, giving the opposing team possession.

The news from the doctors was jarring: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.'s back was effectively broken. In the best-case scenario, a stint on injured reserve seemed inevitable. At worst, his entire season was in jeopardy. But Pittman's reaction to that 2024 injury was not what one might expect. After learning from physicians that he could play through the low-back fracture if he could tolerate the acute pain, Pittman decided to give it a go.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Shane Steichen interrupted the backslapping in the celebratory locker room and called his team together. The Indianapolis Colts' coach had something to say about a victory that was more meaningful than the 33-8 win over the Miami Dolphins reflected on the scoreboard. Steichen wanted to mark the occasion of the team's first victory without its longtime owner, Jim Irsay, who died in May and was honored with induction in the team's Ring of Honor at halftime of Sunday's season opener.