The Indianapolis Colts are just days away from arguably their most important regular-season game of the year against the Denver Broncos.
Thankfully, they are coming off their bye week, which gave multiple players nursing injuries an extra week to rest and attempt to give it a go in Week 15.
With the team's final injury report of the week now out, let's look at what we know about the potential availability of multiple notable Colts.
Colts rule two players out for Week 15
Ashton Dulin, WR
The first player the Colts ruled out for Week 15 is wide receiver Ashton Dulin. Dulin has made some big plays as a wide receiver this season when his number is called, but his main role is on special teams. He has been one of the team's best special team contributors for multiple seasons. With Dulin out, the Colts will have to spread their gunner snaps around a bit more than usual, and we will see if someone like Anthony Gould gets to be active with the Colts down an active WR.
Braden Smith, RT
The Colts are also ruling out starting right tackle Braden Smith for a second straight game due to what the team has listed as a personal reason. Head coach Shane Steichen announced that Smith would miss this game at the beginning of the week and even noted that it's possible he could miss the rest of the season. The mystery surrounding Smith's absence points toward this being a unique situation, and with him out again in Week 15, it'll mean another week of rookie Matthew Goncalves starting.
Four notable Colts players are questionable for Week 15
Josh Downs, WR
The Colts had to play without Josh Downs in Week 13 due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the team's Week 12 loss to the Detroit Lions. Downs has been a big part of the Colts offense this year, and getting him back on the field would be major. He was able to log two full practices on Thursday and Friday, and Steichen shared that Downs "looked good" in practice this week. So I'd say there's a better chance than not that we see Downs return to the field in Denver.
Ryan Kelly, C (On Ir)
The Colts opened up Ryan Kelly's 21-day practice window as he attempts to return from IR. They have not activated him to the active roster yet, which means that a roster move would have to occur for him to play vs. the Broncos. If Kelly can't go, the Colts will turn to rookie Tanor Bortolini, with Danny Pinter as his backup. Both players have played well in relief this season, so there won't be added pressure on Kelly to push through his injury if he is not ready yet.
Jaylon Carlies, LB (On IR)
Like Kelly, the Colts opened up rookie linebacker Jaylon Carlies' 21-day practice window, and he has yet to be activated to the active roster. So again a roster move would have to occur for Carlies to be active for Week 15 or in future weeks. Carlies impressed early in the year as the Colts' best coverage LB, which the team has missed intensely.
Mo Alie-Cox, TE
The final player holding a questionable status for the Colts is veteran Mo Alie-Cox. Alie-Cox was a late addition to the injury report this week, which makes his status seem very up in the air. His injury is listed as a hip issue, which held him out of practice on Friday. The Colts TE room hasn't had a big impact on the offense this season, but Alie-Cox has the most experience in the room, and without him, it would probably lead to second-year TE Will Mallory being active in Week 15.
