COLTS WR MICHAEL PITTMAN JR RULED OUT FOR GAME AGAINST FALCONS WITH CONCUSSION
Indianapolis Colts star wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is out for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with concussion and a shoulder injury, the team confirmed on Saturday.
The fourth-year wide receiver suffered a concussion before half time last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which ruled him out of the game. Pittman has been in concussion protocol all week and was only cleared on Friday after passing an independent neurological exam. He was then listed as questionable for the game on Sunday.
Pittman traveled with the Colts on Saturday before developing additional symptoms, which led him being placed back into concussion protocol and downgraded to out for the game.
The 26-year-old wide receiver is Indianapolis’ best receiving option and has been a go-to for quarterback Gardner Minshew, who has helped guide the Colts to an 8-6 record after starting the season at 3-5. Pittman, who is playing in a contract year, has 99 catches for 1,062 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns for the Colts, who are tied with Jacksonville and Houston for the AFC South lead going into Week 16.
Speaking this week, Pittman said he didn’t recall the hit which ruled him out of the game. “I honestly never saw him coming,” said the former USC Trojan. “I was diving, I caught it, and then all of a sudden, I woke up and there’s people looking down at me. I was like, ‘Oh, s—, what just happened?”
“I really didn’t grasp how significant it was until I watched it. I remember sitting in my locker and my wife came in crying, my daughter was crying and that’s like the first time I was like, ‘Maybe this was bad.’”
Pittman spoke for the first time since the game last week and told reporters he believed Kazee’s penalty from the league was too harsh despite the fact he thought the Steelers defense were “headhunting” all game.
“I do think that they were head-hunting, but I don’t think he meant to try to impose a life-changing injury,” said Pittman. “I don’t think that any player has that in them and you just never want to see guys lose games and lose that much money because I don’t think he was trying to do that.”
“It’s unfortunate how it happened and I wish it never happened like for me and for him [Kazee].”
Kazee, meanwhile, was suspended for the remainder of the year for what the NFL called “repeated violation of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players” before an appeal reduced his suspension to the remainder of the regular season. The 30-year-old will forfeit about $208,000 in salary during the suspension but would be allowed back to play if the 8-7 Steelers make the playoffs.
Pittman has three days of practice this week and was looking like a full-go on Sunday but will now be a huge miss for the Colts, who are in deep contention for a playoff spot and the divisional crown.
With the loss of one major offensive weapon, the Indianapolis Colts are set to get another one back, however, with All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor expected to be full back on Sunday. Taylor has missed the past three weeks with a thumb issue that had to be repaired by surgery but has been a full participant at practice all week. Taylor’s backup, Zack Moss, who picked up most of the reps at running back with Taylor gone, will not be available as he is dealing with a forearm issue.
Moss’ unavailability means Taylor will get plenty of carries in his first game back, and with their best receiver out, the Colts should rely on the run a little more going into yet another hostile environment.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.