Indianapolis Colts injury update: WR Josh Downs will be active vs. Titans

A big boost for the Colts offense with WR Josh Downs active for Sunday’s game against the Titans.

Some more good news for the Indianapolis Colts, with wide receiver Josh Downs active for Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans.

Downs was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report after dealing with a toe injury this week that popped up in the Week 5 Jacksonville game, according to Nate Atkins of the Indy Star.

Downs did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was a full participant in Friday’s practicing–providing added hope that he would be able to play in this divisional matchup.

Downs missed the first two games of the season working through a high-ankle sprain, but over these last two games in particular, he’s become the focal point of the Colts’ passing game.

Providing some much-needed stability to the Colts’ short to intermediate passing games–which have been quite inconsistent this season–Downs has caught 17-of-21 passes during this two game span, with 151 yards and a touchdown.

In that stretch, Downs ranks first on the team in targets and receptions and is second in yards. League-wide, Downs is tied for first in targets from the slot, he’s first in receptions, and second in yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

Downs’ availability obviously provides a big boost for the offense. Before suffering the ankle injury in training camp, he was a favorite target of Anthony Richardson’s in those practices.

He very much looks poised to make that Year 2 jump that so many successful NFL players make.

Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs questionable vs. Titans

Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs returned to practice on Friday and is listed as questionable for the team’s game vs. the Titans.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will be listed as questionable for the team’s Week 6 divisional matchup with the Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Downs has been on the injury report this week with a toe injury. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was on the field in a full capacity on Friday, which is a good sign.

Downs played 43 snaps this past Sunday in Jacksonville, and developed the injury in that game, according to the Indy Star’s Nate Atkins.

Prior to sustaining the high ankle sprain early on in training camp, Downs was off to a very fast start in those opening practices–appearing poised for that Year 2 jump that so many successful NFL players make.

Over the last two weeks, Downs has again been that high-impact player, emerging as a go-to target for Joe Flacco. During that span, Downs leads the team in targets (21) and receptions (17) and has totaled 151 yards with a score.

And of those 17 receptions, 11 have gone for a first down–an important element for a Colts’ offense that has struggled to sustain drives this season.

The Colts have already ruled Jonathan Taylor out for this game and Michael Pittman’s status remains unknown. Having Downs in the mix is always important to the offense’s success but becomes even more vital given the injuries elsewhere.

The Colts passing game will be up against a Titans’ secondary that is allowing just 5.0 yards per pass attempt this season–the second-lowest rate in football, along with being one of the better units at preventing the explosive pass play.

ESPN makes new bold prediction for Colts, featuring WR Josh Downs

ESPN’s Seth Walder has revised his preseason bold prediction for the Colts and come up with a new one that features WR Josh Downs.

Before the 2024 NFL season began, ESPN’s Seth Walder made a bold prediction for each team, including the Indianapolis Colts.

Now roughly one-third of the way through the season, Walder has gone back and either revised those predictions if needed or determined that he’s going to ride out the rest of the season with his original prediction.

For the Colts, Walder came into the season predicting that Kwity Paye and Laiatu Latu would combine for 20-plus sacks this season. However, with Paye missing time, the two are currently at just 1.5 sacks.

So Walder is scrapping that one and moving on to something new.

Now Walder’s bold prediction for the Colts is that Josh Downs will have 1,000 receiving yards even with missing the first two games of the season.

Here is a snippet of what Walder had to say:

“Downs had a large enough sample to debut on the Receiver Scores leaderboard this week, and he came in with an 82 open score after having 26 targets in three games.”

Over the last two games in particular, Downs has been a go-to target for Joe Flacco. In that stretch, he’s been targeted 21 times, catching 17 of those passes for 151 yards and a touchdown–leading the team in both targets and receptions.

On the season, Downs has 173 receiving yards. To get to the 1,000 yard mark, he has to average 69 receiving yards per game for the rest of the year. A very doable number.

Downs is currently on the Colts’ injury report ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday as he works through a toe injury.

Two former UNC football stars explode in NFL’s Week 4

These former Heels went off at the professional level yesterday.

Despite UNC football having a horrendous weekend losing a 20-point lead against Duke on the road to losing 21-20, two former Tar Heels who are now playing at the next level had great games for their respective teams.

Javonte Williams has had a mediocre season, to say the least, through the first three weeks for the Denver Broncos. However, last week, he ran like the Williams we saw dawning the baby blue in Chapel Hill.

Williams took 16 carries for 77 yards on the ground, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught two of his three targets for three yards. In a game that saw Denver put up just 10 points, he was the bright spot.

The other Tar Heels that shined was former receiver Josh Downs. Down was injured to start the season up to Week 3 when he made his sophomore debut for the Indianapolis Colts. However, in Week 4, we saw what the receiver is made of.

Despite going from Anthony Richardson to Joe Flacco in the middle of the game, Downs totaled eight receptions on nine targets for 82 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He averaged 10.3 yards per reception.

The current Heels might not be finding a ton of success currently, but the former ones are at the next level.

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Colts WR Josh Downs will make debut vs. Bears, adding needed boost to pass game

Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will make his 2024 debut on Sunday against the Bears, providing the passing game with needed stability.

Indianapolis Colts’ second-year receiver Josh Downs will make his 2024 debut against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

After being sidelined with a high-ankle sprain that he suffered back on August 7th, Downs was a full participant in all three practices this week and does not have an injury designation.

The return of Downs to the offense will provide some much-needed stability for the Colts short to intermediate passing game–an area that has been lacking in consistency through the first two games.

The Colts’ ability to move the ball has been very boom or bust. Either Anthony Richardson has connected on a big play or there’s been little success in moving the ball. Not helping things is the inconsistent play from the receivers who have been on the field.

Indianapolis has been getting crushed in the time of possession battle. In part, that’s because their defense can’t stop the run, but also contributing is the offense’s inability to sustain drives.

Downs is coming off a very good rookie season and one that GM Chris Ballard believes flew under the radar. Downs caught 72 percent of his passes for 771 yards–the second-most on the team–and two scores.

Among all wide receivers, he totaled the seventh-most yards from the slot. Downs also led the Colts in missed tackles and average YAC, along with picking up 30 first downs and having 10 receptions of 20-plus yards.

As good as that first season was, oftentimes it is in a player’s second year where they make the biggest developmental leap. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including the familiarity of being in the same system for a full year and the added comfort a year of experience at the NFL level can provide.

Prior to Downs’ injury, he appeared poised to make that big jump. Downs quickly emerged as a go-to target of Richardson’s in the early training camp practices, with the two having developed a very strong rapport, despite not having a ton of live reps together.

This week, the Colts will be up against a Bears defense that has done well at eliminating the explosive pass play. Moving the ball and putting up points likely has to come from sustaining drives.

Coming into the season, it was known that Richardson was going to go through growing pains as he gained more experience. But the thought was that there was enough help around him so that he wouldn’t have to routinely shoulder the workload.

However, that hasn’t been the case through two games. Getting Downs back in the mix should provide a massive boost for Richardson and the offense.

Josh Downs to make 2024 NFL season debut on Sunday

Josh Downs is preparing to make his season debut Sunday. Can the former Tar Heel enjoy a breakout game against one of the NFL’s top defenses?

While Sam Howell and Drake Maye might get most of the credit for UNC’s explosive offense in 2021 and 2022, there’s a talented wide receiver behind that success, too.

That wide receiver is Josh Downs, who currently enters his second NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts.

Downs was seventh amongst NFL rookies with 771 receiving yards last year, carving himself out a starting role for Indy in the process. He missed the Colts’ first two games this season, though, as he suffered a high ankle sprain during training camp.

With Indy preparing to host the Chicago Bears on Sunday, looking for its first win after a pair of tough losses, Josh Downs is also preparing to make his season debut.

Downs surpassed the 1,000-receiving yard mark at North Carolina in both 2021 and 2022, earning first team All-ACC honors in the process. He was the Tar Heels’ clear number one – and it paid off with his third round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Downs caught passes from two quarterbacks last year, Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew, so his rookie breakout season was that much more impressive.

This season, with Richardson fully healthy from a shoulder injury sustained early in 2023, Downs should enjoy an even more productive sophomore campaign.

Why not start with a big game against Chicago on Sunday?

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If it’s up to Josh Downs, he plans to play in Colts Week 3 game vs. Bears

If it’s up to Colts’ WR Josh Downs, he says he plans to play on Sunday against the Bears.

If it’s up to wide receiver Josh Downs, he is going to be on the football field this Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 3 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

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Downs has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain that he suffered during training camp back on August 7th.

Downs did not practice in the week leading up to the Colts’ regular season opener against the Houston Texans. He did, however, return to the practice field last week all three days. On Wednesday and Thursday he was limited, and then on Friday he was a full participant.

As of Sunday morning, prior to the Colts game versus Green Bay, Ian Rapoport reported that Downs had a 50-50 chance of playing at that time. Instead, the Colts opted to give him at least another week to make sure his ankle was good to go.

For about the last week, all signs have been pointing to Downs return being soon. In addition to the report from Rapoport. Downs told The Athletic’s James Boyd last week that he felt he was about “80-90%.” Downs added that the key to him returning would be feeling that he is strong enough the play to his ability without having to worry about his ankle.

For a Colts’ passing game that has struggled to find any sort of consistency, the return of Downs would be a massive boost, providing quarterback Anthony Richardson with a uber-reliable target on those short to intermediate routes. Outside of capitalizing on some big play opportunities, the Colts have struggled to sustain drives through the first two games.

Downs is coming off an impressive rookie season where he caught over 70 percent of his targets and totaled 771 yards. Prior to his injury, he was off to a fast start in training camp, having built a strong rapport with Richardson.

Report: Colts WR Josh Downs will be out vs. Packers

The Indianapolis Colts will reportedly be without wide receiver Josh Downs against the Packers.

It’s been reported that the Indianapolis Colts will be without wide receiver Josh Downs for their Week 2 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, according to Ian Rapoport.

As of Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport reported that it was “50-50” as to whether or not Downs would play.

Downs has been working through a high-ankle sprain that he suffered in practice during early August. He missed the Colts’ Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans.

He did return to practice this week and was a full participant on Friday after being limited on Wednesday and Thursday, but in what is a long NFL season, the Colts are remaining cautious.

Downs told James Boyd of The Athletic this past week that the key to him playing was being able to run and cut without thinking about his ankle.

Last week without Downs, the Colts took a by-committee approach to fill the void, with several different players taking slot snaps.

It’s a more difficult task without Downs, who is coming off an impressive rookie season in 2023 and was a go-to target of Anthony Richardson’s in training camp, but the Colts will have to find added consistency in the passing game this week, particularly on the short to intermediate routes, where Downs makes his greatest impact.

Report: Colts WR Josh Downs is ’50-50′ for matchup vs. Packers

According to Ian Rapoport, Colts WR Josh Downs is “50-50” in whether he will play against the Packers.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers. As of Sunday morning, Downs is considered to be “50-50” in whether or not he plays today, according to Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport added that while Downs was a full participant in Friday’s practice, high-ankle sprains can linger and the Colts want to be sure there are no issues before he plays.

Downs suffered the high-ankle sprain back on August 7th during a training camp practice. He was inactive during the Colts Week 1 matchup with the Houston Texans but did return to practice this week.

As already mentioned, Downs was a full-participant on Friday, and was limited at practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

Downs is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he was one of the more productive receivers in football from the slot, totaling 771 yards, along with two scores.

Prior to the injury he appeared poised to make a big jump in his second season as he was off to a fast start in training camp. A strong rapport with Anthony Richardson had made Downs a favorite target this summer.

While the Colts were able to hit on some big plays last week, there were general ups and downs in the passing game overall. Getting Downs back on the field will provide the Colts offense with another reliable presence on those short to intermediate routes.

Colts WR Josh Downs will return to practice Wednesday in limited capacity

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will be back on the practice field Wednesday ahead of the team’s Week 2 matchup.

Some very good news for the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to Wednesday’s practicing beginning, head coach Shane Steichen announced that wide receiver Josh Downs will be back on the practice field.

Steichen added that in his first practice back, Downs will be limited, but it’s a good sign nonetheless.

Downs suffered a high ankle sprain back on August 7th, and it was initially reported by Ian Rapoport that Downs was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, although the Colts never provided a timeline.

Downs did not practice last week but was seen working out off the side and said he felt good about where he was at.

Without Downs, the Colts relied on a by-committee approach when it came to slot duties in their Week 1 matchup with the Houston Texans, with a handful of different players all seeing snaps lined up inside.

Prior to the training camp injury, Downs was putting together an impressive summer, sparked by a strong rapport with quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Downs is coming off a rookie season where he caught over 70 percent of his targets for 771 yards and was one of the more impactful slot receivers in football, ranking top 10 in yards.

While the Colts’ offense was able to generate some big plays in the passing game this past Sunday, there was an overall consistency that was lacking with a very boom-or-bust play style. Getting Downs back in the mix will provide some added stability and playmaking to the passing game.