The Colts are dealing with an injury to one of their key defensive players.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner is questionable to return with a calf injury.
Gardner jogged back to the locker room during the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Titans. According to multiple reporters on the scene, Gardner has come back to the sideline and doing some drills in an attempt to get loose. But to this point, he has not returned to the field.
The Titans took advantage of a Daniel Jones interception to get three more points on the board and currently trail the Colts 13-6 early in the fourth quarter.
It was a quick first 30 minutes in Indianapolis, with the Colts grabbing a 13-0 lead over the division-rival Titans at halftime.
Mo Alie-Cox opened the scoring for the Colts when he caught a 1-yard touchdown from Daniel Jones early in the second quarter. That had been set up by a 38-yard screen pass from Jones to Jonathan Taylor, who moved Indianapolis from its own 34 to the Tennessee 28.
On Indianapolis’ next drive, the club settled for a 23-yard field goal to go up 10-0.
Spencer Shrader added another 47-yard field goal just before halftime to push the lead to 13.
The Colts had been driving on their first possession, but Tennessee’s Amani Hooker had a terrific toe-dragging interception along the sideline to cut off the threat.
Tennessee’s offense has done next to nothing. While the Titans did get three first downs on their first possession, they proceeded to go three-and-out twice, and Cam Ward threw an interception on the first play of their fourth first-half drive.
Ward is 4-of-7 for 37 yards with the interception. The Colts have just three first downs, 64 total yards, and are 1-of-4 on third down.
On the other side, Jones is 13-of-20 for 153 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jonathan Taylor has nine carries for 53 yards and his 38-yard catch.
Indianapolis will receive the second-half kickoff.
Derrick Henry has reached another milestone in his storied career.
Via Henry Gold of NFL Research, Henry has become the fourth player in league history to rush for at least 4,000 yards with multiple teams.
Henry accomplished the feat on his first carry of Sunday’s game against the Browns, taking the ball 11 yards. He entered the day with 3,992 yards rushing with the Ravens after tallying 9,502 yards in eight seasons with Tennessee.
Henry is in his third year with the Ravens.
The others to accomplish 4,000 yards with multiple teams are Eric Dickerson (Rams and Colts), Marshall Faulk (Colts and Rams), and Warrick Dunn (Buccaneers and Falcons).
The Ravens lead the Browns 10-0 in the second quarter.
If Colts running back Jonathan Taylor could face the Titans every week, he’d rewrite the entire record book.
In his last three games against Tennessee, Taylor has 510 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. He has three in each game.
Via NBC Sports research, Taylor is the only player in NFL history to have three straight games with three or more touchdowns scored against a single opponent. Only two players have had four non-consecutive three-touchdown games against a single opponent.
Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson did it four times in his career against the Broncos, and Hall of Fame receiver Don Hutson did it four times against the Rams.
Taylor’s next touchdown will give him 83 for his career, moving him past receiver Reggie Wayne for third on the Colts’ all-time list.
The bigger issue for the Titans, regardless of whatever Taylor does, is an NFL-leading 11 straight losses in the division.
Signs have pointed to Bears quarterback Caleb Williams making his return from a hamstring injury all week and it became official on Sunday morning.
Williams is active for the team’s 1 p.m. ET game in Atlanta. Williams missed three games after being injured in Chicago’s Week 2 loss to the Vikings and was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report, but he was a full participant in practice all this week and he posted a comeback-themed video to social media on Friday night.
Michael Penix will be the other quarterback on Sunday. Penix was forced out of last weekend’s loss to the Ravens with injured ribs, but he was also a full practice participant and he had no injury designation.
Bears at Falcons
Bears: RB Kyle Monangai, CB Tyrique Stevenson, LB T.J. Edwards, LB Keyshaun Elliott, OL Jordan McFadden, DL Jayden Loving, QB Case Keenum
Falcons: QB Cooper Rush, QB Jack Strand, CB C.J. Henderson, DB Malcolm DeWalt, LB Christian Harris, OL Ethan Onianwa, DE Drake Jackson
Ravens at Browns
Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson, C Cam Jurgens, DT Broderick Washington, TE Matt Hibner, WR Elijah Sarratt, G Andrew Vorhees, S K’Von Wallace
Browns: RB Quinshon Judkins, QB Taylen Green, CB Noah Igbinoghene, DT Mike Hall Jr., C Parker Brailsford, G Teven Jenkins, DT Mason Graham
Titans at Colts
Titans: CB Alontae Taylor, S Kevin Winston, OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, TE Kylen Granson, RB Nick Singleton, DL Jackie Marshall, DL Jordan Elliott
Colts: LB Jaylon Carlies, WR Ashton Dulin, QB Riley Leonard, G Dalton Tucker, TE Tyler Warren
Jets at Patriots
Jets: RB Breece Hall, DL Jack Heflin, WR Adonai Mitchell, LB Joseph Ossai, G Dylan Parham, CB Nahshon Wright
Patriots: QB Behren Morton, TE Tanner Arkin, OT Dametrious Crownover, CB Carlton Davis, CB Karon Prunty, CB Channing Canada
Saints at Giants
Saints: QB Zach Wilson, LB Anfernee Jennings, S Mike Reid, LB Kaden Elliss, DL Nathan Shepherd, DL John Ridgeway
Giants: CB Colton Hood, QB Jake Haener, S Tyler Nubin, OT Jermaine Eluemunor, TE Theo Johnson, DL C.J. Okoye
Panthers at Eagles
Panthers: OT Monroe Freeling, TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, QB Haynes King, RB AJ Dillon, G Torricelli Simpkins, OT Albert Reese, DT TeRah Edwards
Eagles: WR Hollywood Brown, QB Joe Milton, RB Saquon Barkley, DB Michael Carter, LB A.J. Epenesa, LB Jalyx Hunt
Steelers at Buccaneers
Steelers: WR Ben Skowronek, QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, RB Eli Heidenreich, CB Terell Smith, DL Kevin Jobity
Buccaneers: DL DeMonte Capehart, G Luke Haggard, QB Baker Mayfield, CB Benjamin Morrison, G Billy Schrauth, RB Sean Tucker, S Antoine Winfield Jr.
