The Kansas City Chiefs were the top offense in the league this season, which was already enough of a task for the Indianapolis Colts in their Divisional Round battle. But now, things are going to be even tougher, as the Colts will be missing both of their starting safeties.
With safety Mike Mitchell already done for the playoffs with a calf injury, Indianapolis will now be without fellow safety Malik Hooker against the Chiefs, as Hooker will be sidelined with a foot injury he suffered during last week's Wild Card Round win over the Houston Texans, according to James Palmer of NFL Network.
This hurts. A lot.
The Colts did not exactly have a great passing defense to begin with, as they ranked just 16th against the pass this season. Now, both Mitchell and Hooker are out, so Indy will have to dip into its bench to try and stop Patrick Mahomes, he of the 50 touchdown passes.
Hooker played in 14 games during the regular season, finishing with 44 tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. He also made numerous big plays throughout the year, including a game-clinching interception against the New York Giants in Week 16.
The 22-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State University, was originally selected by the Colts in the first round (15th pick overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Due to injuries, Hooker was limited to just seven games during his rookie campaign, totaling 21 tackles and three picks.
Indianapolis has won 10 of its last 11 games, faltering only in a 6-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars early last month.
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