The Indianapolis Colts were on the practice field Thursday as they continued to prepare for a competitive game against the New York Jets here in Week 11.
On Wednesday, with the bye week still a few weeks away, the Colts held a walkthrough instead of their normal practice routine. However, they were back on the training pitch on Thursday, releasing their second injury report of the week.
Let's take a closer look at what you need to know:
Thursday's exercise report for :
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts)
– After being listed as a non-participant on Wednesday, DeForest Buckner was back on Thursday and also a full participant – obviously a good sign for Sunday. Since returning to the lineup in Week 8, the Colts' defense has been feeling the impact of DeForest Buckner, as not only has he been one of the most disruptive defensive players in football over the past three weeks, but his teammates are also benefiting from his presence. It's no coincidence that the Colts' pass-rush unit was far more productive overall with Buckner back in the mix.
– Bernhard Raimann would miss his second day of training due to a knee injury. He left Sunday's game against Buffalo in the first half and did not return. It's not often that a player misses all three days of practice and still plays on Sunday. Raimann's availability on Friday will therefore be significant. If he can't go, Matt Goncalves will start again. In his two appearances over the last two games, Goncalves was credited with allowing six pressures, three sacks and being penalized once, according to PFF.
– For the second time in a row, Michael Pittman was fully involved – a good sign that he will play on Sunday. As Pittman told us from the start, dealing with this back injury will be a week-to-week task. Julian Blackmon was also there again.
– EJ Speed trained but was a limited participant on the second day. This is worth watching as it was a knee injury that forced him to miss the Miami game – although we don't know if there is a connection between the current knee injury and this one.