As Michael Pittman Jr. spoke to the media in the Colts' locker room on Friday, the veteran wide receiver was hit in the face with what looked like a balled-up sock. He laughed it off, acting jokingly exasperated as the culprit casually walked past and left the room.
The guilty party? Josh Downs, who strolled behind the media scrum with a small self-satisfied smirk on his face.
Both Colts wide receivers had just finished their first practice of the week – Pittman did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday due to a back injury, and Downs was out with a toe injury – and while their status for the Colts' Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans was still unknown, their spirits were high.
It turned out to be for good reason, because both Downs and Pittman ended up playing, and having key roles, in the Colts' 20-17 win against the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
After the game, Pittman said he made the decision to try to make a push to play on Thursday. Downs saw that determination and knew there was no way he wasn't going to try to play either.
"Once you see somebody playing through some stuff, if you know you can go, you've gotta go," Downs said. "It's not 'Well, I think I can go but I'm going to sit out,' and it's a division game, a lot on the line. So yeah, pretty much as you see your teammates going through it, you better go through it as well."
While Downs said he was still playing through "stuff" himself, he didn't look like it against the Titans. The second-year wide receiver had seven catches for 66 yards – an average of 9.4 yards per catch – and recorded his second touchdown of the season on the Colts' first drive of the game.
On the touchdown, Downs easily outran his defender and was a wide-open target for quarterback Joe Flacco, who launched the football 22 yards downfield. Downs leapt up into the air, snagging the ball and tumbling into the end zone before quickly jumping up and celebrating the Colts' early lead.
"He shows up every week," head coach Shane Steichen said. "He's all over the field making plays."
Downs' first touchdown also came courtesy of a pass from Flacco back in the Colts' Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers; the 39-year-old quarterback and 23-year-old wide receiver have formed a quick and reliable connection since QB1 Anthony Richardson sustained an oblique injury against the Steelers.
"He has a lot under his belt already," Downs said of Flacco. "When Ant's out and he comes in, we don't skip a beat. He's a great quarterback coming in for another great quarterback."
"He's been huge the last few weeks," Flacco said of the young wide receiver. "I mean, ever since he's come back and been in this lineup he's been a force to be reckoned with."
Downs missed the first two games of the 2024 season, dealing with an ankle injury he sustained during training camp, and while the Colts' offense found success without Downs, there's no questioning the impact he's made since his return.
Here's a look at Downs' statistics in the four games he's played in this season:
| Game | Receptions | Yards | Average Yards per Catch | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 3 vs. Chicago Bears | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 0 |
| Week 4 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 82 | 10.3 | 1 |
| Week 5 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 69 | 7.7 | 0 |
| Week 6 vs. Tennessee Titans | 7 | 66 | 9.4 | 1 |
All three of the Colts' wins this season have come with Downs on the field. Whether he's getting open for a short pass up the middle or beating out a defender downfield, or even returning punts – Downs had four punt returns for a total of 67 yards on Sunday – with wide receiver continues to prove his value each and every game.
But then again, it's not like anyone doubted him to begin with. After all, he did set a franchise record for the most receptions in a rookie season (68) and averaged 11.3 yards per catch in his first year in the NFL, and nothing about Downs' approach has changed since then.
"He's the ultimate pro," Steichen said on Wednesday. "He does everything right. The treatment he gets, the way he works, what he brings to that receiver room is great. I mean, you can see what he's done in hist first year and a half, how productive he's been. He's going to have a big-time career because of the way he works, his work ethic, the way he runs routes, the way he attacks every day. He's a huge asset to our football team."
