INDIANAPOLIS – The magnitude of the moment – it really gets no bigger than Sunday in Denver – coincides with a significant return for the Indianapolis Colts.
Josh Downs is on track to return after missing the New England Patriots game with an injury to his right shoulder.
“Oh, it’s great,” Shane Steichen said Friday. “Obviously to get a guy like Downs back and what he brings to our offense is huge.”
Downs suffered the shoulder injury in the Week 12 loss to the Detroit Lions. He was unable to play the following week against the Patriots, but benefitted from the Colts’ having their late bye week.
“I’m good. Excellent,” Downs said this week, adding he stayed in Indy during the team’s off week to focus on treatment and recovery.
“I stayed here with the trainers and got right.”
While the Colts should benefit from Downs’ return against the Broncos, they’ll be without right tackle Braden Smith and wideout Ashton Dulin (ankle). Smith missed the Patriots game because of personal matters, and it’s uncertain if he’ll return this season.
“I won’t get into details, but respect his privacy and support him,” Steichen said.
The status of Ryan Kelly remains uncertain.
The veteran center returned to practice this week after undergoing surgery on his right knee and being placed on the injured reserve list. The Colts still must add Kelly to the active roster from IR.
If that occurs, Kelly might return to the starting lineup. Steichen indicated this week Kelly would start if “he’s ready to go.”
Rookie Tanor Bortolini started three games in place of Kelly, although he missed the Patriots game with a concussion. Danny Pinter filled in for Bortolini, who has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol.
If Kelly is back, the Colts will use an eighth different starting offensive line combination, including five in the last six games.
Everyone within the Farm Bureau Insurance Football Center understands the importance of Sunday’s meeting with the Broncos.
“The magnitude of the game, shoot, if you can’t get up for a game like this, you’ve got problems,” Steichen said. “Our guys are fired up, ready to go for Sunday.”
The 6-7 Colts sit on the No. 8 rung in the AFC playoff picture, two games behind the No. 7-seeded Broncos (8-5).
According to the New York Times’ playoff simulator, Indy’s playoff chances bounce to 65% with a victory but plummet to 11% with a loss.
A victory would give the Colts the head-to-head tiebreaker over Denver, and the closing schedule favors the Colts. Take a look:
- Colts: Tennessee (3-10), at New York Giants (2-11), Jacksonville (3-10).
- Broncos: at Los Angeles Chargers (8-5), at Cincinnati (5-8), Kansas City (12-1).
Also, Miami (6-7) lurks, and the Colts also hold the tiebreaker over the Dolphins based on their week 7 win.
“It’s almost like a playoff game,” Downs said of Sunday. “Gotta win. Everybody knows that.
“Everybody knows what’s at stake.”
And everybody should understand how Downs’ return could impact things.
Despite missing three games with ankle and shoulder injuries, he leads the team with 53 receptions that have generated 594 yards and four TDs. He’s caught 68% of his 78 targets, the best among Colts’ receivers by a wide margin.
Downs has led or shared the team lead in receptions seven times and had the most yards four times.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.