On Friday’s final injury report prior to their Week 13 matchup with the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts have wide receiver Alec Pierce listed as questionable.
Along with Pierce being questionable, fellow receivers Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin have already been ruled out.
Pierce was on the injury report with a foot injury and did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. But he did return on Friday and was a full participant. In addition to that, according to the Indy Star’s Nate Atkins, head coach Shane Steichen said that Pierce will be good to go for this week’s game.
With Anthony Richardson under center, Pierce has become one of the most productive downfield pass catchers in football. Pierce enters Week 13 ranked third in receptions of 20 or more yards and is second in receiving yards on those throws.
Overall, Pierce leads the team in receiving yards with 623 and is averaging a whopping 23.3 yards per catch with four scores.
It will be up to Pierce as well as Michael Pittman to shoulder the workload at the receiver position without Downs. We likely see a by-committee approach in the slot with AD Mitchell potentially handling the majority of those snaps.
This is a Patriots secondary that has given up yards through the air, ranking 26th in yards per pass attempt allowed, along with giving up the 10th most explosive pass plays.