INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts today officially began on-field preparations for Thursday night's Week 10 contest against the Tennessee Titans. What were some of the top takeaways on the day?
Injury report
Here is today's injury report, the first of the week for the Colts:
'Very unlikely' Doyle plays Thursday
Colts head coach Frank Reich said today that tight end Jack Doyle is in the league's concussion protocol, and with the quick turnaround this week it's "probably going to be tough for him to get cleared" by Thursday night's game against the Titans.
"We'll take it day by day," Reich said. "But probably not counting on him for this Thursday. It'd be very unlikely that he would clear by then."
Doyle suffered the concussion just before halftime of Sunday's Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when he was attempting to make a catch on a Philip Rivers throw across the middle and took on a shoulder-to-helmet hit from safety DeShon Elliott, who was not flagged on the play.
The two-time Pro Bowl tight end Doyle also missed the Colts' Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings with knee and ankle injuries. He has nine receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns on the year.
If Doyle is unable to play Thursday night in Tennessee, then the team will continue to turn to veterans Trey Burton and Mo Alie-Cox at the tight end position, while undrafted rookie Noah Togiai could be called up to play in his fourth game of the year.
The Colts also have tight ends Farrod Green and Hale Hentges on their practice squad if needed.
Hilton, Turay update
In other Colts injury-related news, the team still isn't ruling out the possibility of having either wide receiver T.Y. Hilton or defensive end Kemoko Turay on Thursday against the Titans.
Hilton suffered a groin injury during the Colts' Week 8 win over the Detroit Lions and didn't return; he missed practice all of last week and was inactive for Sunday's loss to the Ravens.
With the Colts holding mostly walkthrough-type practice sessions this week on a short week — Hilton did make his return to the practice field today, and was estimated to be a full participant if the team had conducted a normal practice — Reich said the team will depend upon indoor workouts to get a gauge on the veteran wide receiver's progress heading into Thursday night.
"We'll monitor his status and see if he continues to improve," Reich said.
Turay, meanwhile, remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, but his return to game action seems imminent; whether that comes this week against the Titans is unknown at this point.
"We're continuing to monitor his progress," Reich said of Turay. "We're not going to make that decision just yet."
The third-year defensive end suffered a brutal ankle injury in the Colts' Week 5 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs last year, and has been working his way back since.
Turay could be a solid shot in the arm for the Colts' defense, which ranks 11th in the league in sacks per game (2.5), but 26th in the league in pressure percentage (27.8), according to Pro Football Focus.
