Colts vs. Chiefs injury report: Sammy Watkins, T.Y. Hilton questionable for game
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts are coming into the Week 5 matchup with plenty of injury concerns on both sides.
The attrition for the Indianapolis Colts began before the season even started, when starting quarterback Andrew Luck stated he was walking away from the game of football. From there, the losses and injuries have only stacked up, leaving a team with lots of promising talent on both sides of the ball with serious questions entering their Week 5 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately for the host team, the Chiefs are also without several key players of their own with a chance to go without a few others before all is said and done.
It helps both sides that the teams are playing in primetime on Sunday Night Football. The extra half day gives them that much longer to rest and heal before going at it again—this time in a key game for postseason positioning in the AFC.
The Colts are only 2-2, tied with every team in the AFC South at present, but they are one Adam Vinatieri miss away from being 3-1 and they’ve handled the Atlanta Falcons on the road and Tennessee Titans as well as the near win against the Chargers. In short, the Colts are taking care of business (or almost doing so) against notable teams.
However, the Colts are hurting as much as ever and now face their biggest test of the season, on the road under the lights against one of three unbeaten teams left in the NFL.
Several players have already been ruled out for the Colts, including a number of defensive starters. Linebacker Darius Leonard was limited in practice all week, and will sit on Sunday due to a concussion. Safety Malik Hooker will also sit, leaving the secondary much more vulnerable than before. Speaking of, safety Clayton Geathers is also out, and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is questionable, so things might go from bad to worse there for Indy.
The offense could find itself limited if star receiver T.Y. Hilton and/or starting running back Marlon Mack are unable to suit up on Sunday night. Both are questionable as it is, although Hilton has proven a strong ability to play through whatever ails him. That doesn’t include the fact that downfield threat Parris Campbell has already been declared out for the game.
As for the Chiefs, they’re also watching some playmakers fall of the list of available players as of late. Tyreek Hill was declared out on Friday as he’ll miss yet another game with a sternoclavicular dislocation. Sammy Watkins is questionable himself with a shoulder concern, the first such injury issue with him in 2019. Running back Damien Williams is also questionable. Eric Fisher, the team’s starting left tackle, remains out after undergoing hernia surgery.
On the defensive side, defensive end Alex Okafor came up questionable this week with a hip injury that’s lingering a bit more than the coaching staff might have officially believed. Andy Reid‘s initial comments about Okafor’s injury indicated that it wasn’t a big deal, but time will tell whether or not he plays. The Chiefs will also be without linebacker Dorian O’Daniel, primarily a special teams player at this stage.
COLTS INJURIES
- Parris Campbell, wideout (OUT)
- Clayton Geathers, safety (OUT)
- T.Y. Hilton, wideout (QUEST.)
- Malik Hooker, safety (OUT),
- Darius Leonard, linebacker (OUT)
- Tyquan Lewis, defensive end (OUT)
- Marlon Mack, running back (QUEST.)
- Rock Ya-Sin, corner (QUEST.)
- Roland Milligan, safety (QUEST.)
- Anthony Walker, linebacker (QUEST.)
CHIEFS INJURIES
- Eric Fisher, tackle (OUT)
- Tyreek Hill, wideout (OUT)
- Dorian O’Daniel, linebacker (OUT)
- Alex Okafor, defensive end (QUEST.)
- Sammy Watkins, wideout (QUEST.)
- Damien Williams, running back (QUEST.)