Stampede Blue
Who’s inactive for the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 13 matchup against the New England Patriots?
The Indianapolis Colts released their list of inactive players for Sunday’s matchup against the New England Patriots. Among those inactive for Indianapolis include the list of players below.
The Colts will be missing a handful of starters on the offensive side of the ball, including wide receiver Josh Downs and right tackle Braden Smith. Rookie wide receiver Anthony Gould will be active for the first time since Week 3, as he looks to help partially fill the role of both Downs and wide receiver Ashton Dulin. Dulin has been a core special team’s player for the Colts for a number of years now but is also inactive.
As for Smith, he is dealing with a personal matter, meaning rookie Matt Goncalves or Blake Freeland could take his place at right tackle for the Colts. It’s important to note that the Colts are also down their two starting centers in Ryan Kelly (knee) and Tanor Bortolini (concussion). Look for Ball State alum Danny Pinter to get his first start at center in some time Sunday. Tight end Will Mallory will also be active for the Colts. We’ll have to see if the second-year tight end can help increase the team’s level of play at the position.
In positive news for the Colts, left tackle Bernhard Raimann is back in the starting lineup after missing (mostly) the last two weeks with a knee injury. For as banged up as the Colts have been along the offensive line this season, getting Raimann back is a major boost to the left side of their line.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce, who was listed as questionable heading into Sunday, will also be active against New England. Similarly, Indianapolis has been banged up wide receiver for parts of this season, so Pierce being able to play is crucial for their offense.
As far as strength of schedule is concerned, the Colts have the league’s easiest schedule remaining amongst the other 31 teams. The Patriots, who are 3-9 on the year, have struggled as a team in more ways than one. Despite being 5-7, due to their schedule, the Colts could still find a way to make the playoffs as a wild card team. But they have to take care of business on the road Sunday in Foxborough, a place where Indianapolis hasn’t won since 2006.
A win before their bye week would certainly be beneficial in helping the Colts’ playoff chances this season. A loss, however, would be very difficult to overcome in the short-term and could ultimately put an end to any playoff discussions for the rest of the 2024 season.
