Week 1 brought a 33-8 dominant home win over the Miami Dolphins for the Indianapolis Colts. Week 2 will bring another home matchup, this time against the Denver Broncos. The visitors defeated the Colts' AFC South rivals, the Tennessee Titans, 20-12 in their season opener. Ahead of the two undefeated teams' clash on Sunday, Indianapolis received an unfortunate injury update on edge rusher Laiatu Latu. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport on X (formerly Twitter), Latu suffered a hamstring injury yesterday, causing him to miss today's practice session.
“A few standout defenders showed up on the injury report: — #Colts edge Laiatu Latu suffered a hamstring injury yesterday and didn't practice today,” reported Rapoport on Thursday afternoon. “– #Jets CB Sauce Gardner was limited in today's practice with a groin injury.”
There's still time for Latu to get back to full health before Sunday's tilt. The Colts would prefer not to be without one of their starting edge rushers. The former first-round pick had four sacks and three forced fumbles during his 2024 rookie campaign, to go with 32 total tackles. During Sunday's season-opening victory, Latu had a tackle as well as his first interception in the pros. Will the former UCLA standout be on the field against the Broncos' offense Sunday afternoon?
Colts look to start 2-0 with Sunday matchup vs Broncos awaiting
If Latu can't go on Sunday, look for veteran Samson Ebukam to take his spot. The former fourth-round pick has spent the last two seasons with the Colts. His first season in 2023 was solid, as he started all 17 games and notched a career high of 9.5 sacks. After missing 2024 with an injury, the 30-year-old is back and ready to contribute. A sack during Sunday's win showed that all too well.
Whether it's Latu or Ebukam, the Colts will need to get pressure on Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. The sophomore signal caller was a bit inconsistent in the season-opening win, but he can pick Indianapolis apart if given time. It will be up to Latu and Ebukam, as well as the other starting edge rusher, Kwity Paye, to generate a strong pass rush. If that doesn't happen, then Indy's chances at a 2-0 start will become a lot tougher.
