The top receiver for the team left practice early after a collision.

Although football is a team sport, there are three players that are absolutely vital to the Indianapolis Colts success in 2024. Having to replace any one of them would certainly hurt the win column. Those three men include Anthony Richardson, DeForest Buckner, and Michael Pittman Jr. We have seen periods without each of them, and it wasn’t pretty. Pittman going down in practice the other day and leaving with trainers at his side created a lump in the throat type of moment for most fans. Fortunately, the news is good with it being reported as just a bumped knee.

When Richardson went down, most thought the season was lost. While it didn’t turn out to be lost, it didn’t pack the same punch. Richardson being out on the field most certainly would have contributed to a higher level of success over his replacement. While Joe Flacco is competent, Richardson holds even more value this year than last.

Buckner is another player that has to remain on the field. He has been able to suit up for almost every game and has battled his share of bumps and bruises to play on Sunday. Do you remember when he was out against the Titans back in 2020? The Titans ran for over 200 yards and crushed the Colts at home. Buckner is an elite player the Colts cannot live without.

That brings us to Pittman and what a blow it would be to lose him for any sustained period of time during the regular season. While I am more bullish on the receiver corp. than I have been in a long time, it falls to pieces without Pittman. Alec Pierce has yet to show out on the field. Josh Downs showed immense potential, but a sophomore slump could be in the cards. Adonai Mitchell is getting fans juiced, but he is just a rookie. His highlights are great, but have to be taken with a grain of salt until they occur against other NFL teams.

If Pittman missed time during the season, it could prove disastrous. Maybe the other receivers would step up, and they would collectively show things we didn’t see last year. All I can go on is what I saw last year though, and that tells me this team needs Pittman on the field. The game without him in Atlanta was ugly. More of that is not what Colts fans want to see.

Once again, there is no cause for alarm, and Michael Pittman has been extremely healthy during his time with the team. There is no reason to believe that won’t continue. This was more of an exercise in the what if’s and worst case scenarios. There is always a major player or two that suffers a season-ending injury in camp. The best we can hope for is that the Colts players stay upright and only suffer minor aliments that will heal by the time the season kicks off. Pittman is fine. Let’s just hope he stays that way.