Colts’ T.Y. Hilton a game-time decision vs. Saints, but ‘trending in the right direction’

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping to play star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton against the New Orleans Saints, but it’s far from certain.

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The Indianapolis Colts offense could get a huge boost on Monday night for their game with the New Orleans Saints. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that veteran Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is expected to be a game-time decision to play against New Orleans, with team medical staff wanting to see how his injured calf responds during pregame warmups.

Hilton returned to Colts practice on a limited basis last week after missing Indianapolis’ last two games; the speedster is averaging a career-low 10.8 yards per reception in 2019, but he remains the focal point of their offense when healthy. His 5.0 receptions per game and 54.0 receiving yards per game set the pace for the rest of the team, and his 5 touchdown catches ties number-two receiver Zach Pascal for the lead (despite having played just 7 games this year). If his injured calf responds well on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome turf, he’ll be a big threat for the Saints defense to counter.

How would the Saints defend Hilton if he plays? The easy answer would be to assign number-one cornerback Marshon Lattimore to him, with Eli Apple covering Pascal from the other spot. But things could be shaken up with the loss of starting safety Vonn Bell, which pushes rookie defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson into the lineup in Bell’s place. Gardner-Johnson has shared time with P.J. Williams in slot coverage duties throughout the season, and the Colts make a point of rotating various receiving options (including tight ends and running backs) into that alignment to create defensive mismatches.

And as Rapoport said, Hilton will not be playing at full health if he does suit up. There’s a chance the Saints don’t assign any specific coverage to him if he is able to go, given his condition, but that runs the danger of underestimating the impact he can have. There’s absolutely a scenario where he’s able to catch a Saints cornerback at unawares and get behind them for a big gain. New Orleans has to be ready for anything with Hilton and the Colts backed up against a wall, with their season on the line.

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