Indianapolis, IN
Colts LB Leonard out; WRs Pierce, Pittman return
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard has made “incremental progress” in his return from again surgical procedure however stays unable to “play successful soccer and really feel assured,” coach Frank Reich mentioned Friday.
Leonard was dominated out of the Sunday recreation in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs regardless of having practiced with the Colts for the previous three weeks, prompting questions in regards to the timeline for the three-time first-team All-Professional choice.
Reich spoke expansively about Leonard’s standing for the primary time in weeks, saying the group is making its personal evaluations of the linebacker’s potential to return to motion in addition to intently following the participant’s steering.
“It is a collaborative choice,” Reich mentioned. “However clearly the participant’s the one who’s received to play. And solely he really is aware of the way it feels. So, we watch tape and we are able to see while you take a look at tape from final 12 months or the 12 months earlier than versus tape now, and also you watch him transfer, we’re doing that. And it isn’t the identical. We want it to look the identical. From our standpoint, we want that tape to appear to be what it appeared like while you have been comparatively wholesome.
“That is one aspect of it. After which the aspect from Shaq is that he must really feel it. So, that is the place it is collaborative.”
Leonard underwent again surgical procedure in June to handle lower-body ache stemming from a nerve difficulty. Whereas Leonard and the Colts have mentioned the process resolved the issue, the restoration from the surgical procedure has been a prolonged course of.
“This damage, it is a bear,” Reich mentioned. “He is preventing and scratching each second to get again on the sector. I promise you that. He’s doing all the things he can to get again on the market. It is killing him.” The Colts thought of putting Leonard on the bodily unable to carry out checklist or injured reserve at an earlier level, however these choices would have prevented him from practising with the group.
“We knew when you do not take these different steps, all people’s going to assume [he’s playing] Week 1, Week 2,” Reich mentioned. “It was taking a bit of little bit of of venture that the final step would go quicker than in accordance with plan, however all the things goes in accordance with plan. It is a robust damage, he is dealing with it the fitting manner, he has the fitting angle and we’ll proceed simply happening this course.”
Elsewhere, the Colts received constructive damage information with the anticipated returns of receivers Michael Pittman Jr. (quad) and Alec Pierce (concussion). Pittman, in accordance with Reich is “able to go.” Pierce, Reich mentioned, cleared concussion protocol Thursday and can play.
Defensive finish Yannick Ngakoue (again) shall be listed as questionable.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts’ playoff odds are at 10% according to the New York Times, and that seems high. Here is what to know:
The Colts are out of the playoffs if they lose to the Titans
This is pretty straightforward. If the Colts lose, the most games they can win this season is 8. Seven teams — Kansas City, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles and Denver — already have nine wins.
The Colts can make the playoffs if they win out, Chargers lose out
If the Colts win out against the Titans, Giants and Jaguars, they’ll be 9-8. If the Chargers lose to the Raiders and Patriots. The Colts would win the conference record tiebreaker if they are the only two teams with nine wins.
There are multiple-team scenarios involving Los Angeles but the Colts will make the playoffs if these two scenarios happen.
How the Colts can make the playoffs if they win out and the Broncos lose out
If the Broncos lose to Cincinnati and Kansas City and the Colts win out, the Colts make the playoffs if Cincinnati or Miami win out or the Chargers lose out.
The Colts lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to Denver if its just those two teams.
If Los Angeles is also 9-8, it wins the division tiebreaker over the Broncos due to head-to-head and advances to the wild card tiebreaker.
In this scenario, the Colts and Dolphins would have the best conference record at 7-5, eliminating the other possible teams. Indianapolis beat Miami, putting them in the playoffs.
The Indianapolis Colts host the Tennessee Titans in NFL Week 16 action as the Colts try to remain in the AFC playoff race.
The CBS game will be shown in only the Indianapolis and Nashville NFL markets. It will also air in much of Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee, and in parts of Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
When do the Colts play the Titans in NFL Week 16?
1 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
How to watch Colts vs Titans in NFL Week 16
CBS, with Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), and Ross Tucker and Jay Feely (analysis).
How to stream, watch Titans-Colts game for NFL Week 16
The Colts-Broncos matchup will stream on Paramount+ at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. The app is available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Fans can also download NFL+ in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
Colts 2024 schedule
all times ET
Sept. 8: Texans 29, Colts 27
Sept. 15: Packers 16, Colts 10
Sept. 22: Colts 21, Bears 16
Sept. 29: Colts 27, Steelers 24
Oct. 6: Jaguars 37, Colts 34
Oct. 13: Colts 20, Titans 17
Oct. 20: Colts 16, Dolphins 10
Oct. 27: Texans 23, Colts 20
Nov. 3: Vikings 21, Colts 13
Nov. 10: Bills 30, Colts 20
Nov. 17: Colts 28, Jets 27
Nov. 24: Lions 24, Colts 6
Dec. 1: Colts 25, Patriots 24
Dec. 15: Broncos 31, Colts 13
Dec. 22: vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m., CBS
Dec. 29: at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m., Fox
Jan. 5: vs. Jacksonville, TBD
The Tennessee Titans may be out of the playoff picture, but they find themselves in a big game against their AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts.
The Titans can play spoiler for the Colts, who need to win to hold onto their faint playoff hopes, by eliminating them from playoff contention in a win.
However, CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco doesn’t believe that will end up being the case. He predicts that the Colts will pull out a 24-17 win against the Titans.
“The Colts are alive in the playoff race — barely. The Titans are done and might be making a quarterback change. The Colts did some good things in losing to the Broncos last week in a game they should have won. They bounce back here. Colts take it,” Prisco writes.
The Titans are certainly an underdog considering the fact that they are on the road and have won only three games all year long.
However, we have seen how difficult it can be for divisional opponents to sweep a season series, and the Colts came away with the win when the two teams met in Nashville during Week 6.
The Titans are coming into the game with a massive chip on their shoulder and a new source of energy with Mason Rudolph taking over as the starting quarterback after Will Levis was demoted earlier in the week.
The Titans have the ingredients necessary for a win against the Colts, but they still have to execute their plan in order to leave Indy on a happy flight home to Tennessee.
The Titans and Colts are set to kickoff at 12 noon CT tomorrow inside Lucas Oil Stadium. The game can be watched on CBS or streamed on Paramount+.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
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