Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri had a flare-up with a knee injury this week and has been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is likely week to week with the injury.
Vinatieri wasn’t sure if his season would be over while awaiting the results of an MRI on his knee. Head coach Frank Reich told the media Friday that Vinatieri’s season isn’t over yet, and the hasn’t gotten to the point of discussing a trip to the injured reserve list.
“At this point that has not been discussed. It’s just kind of a week-to-week thing. We’ll just monitor it and see how it responds,” Reich said. “That will be a week-to-week deal.”
The 46-year-old kicker has been far from himself this season. His combined 14 missed kicks are the most he’s ever had in a career and the third-most ever in a season.
In his 24th season, Vinatieri has been a lock for production and consistency throughout his career. It simply hasn’t been the same in 2019 whether he’s dealing with injury or flat-out missing kicks by a wide margin.
While Vinatieri doesn’t appear to be heading to the injured reserve list right now, his week to week status with essentially three games remaining means there is a high chance—even a likely one—that the veteran doesn’t return this season.