Colts Notebook: Josh Downs Returns To Practice
INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts will have their first repeat opponent of the 2025 season in Week 8.
It’s the Titans (1-6) and their rookie quarterback and interim head coach taking on the Colts in a 4:25 PM kick on Sunday.
Here is what we learned at the Colts first practice of the week
-Let’s start with the good injury news, the Colts are getting healthier at wideout. Both Josh Downs (concussion) and Ashton Dulin (chest) returned to practice on Wednesday, after each missed the win over the Chargers. It looks like the Colts could be back to full strength at receiver again. What does that mean for AD Mitchell, who played 5 offensive snaps last week?
-The health isn’t as great at defensive end, with the Colts not having DE-Samson Ebukam (knee) or DE-Tyquan Lewis (groin) practicing on Wednesday. Both players left the win over the Chargers early. Shane Steichen called Ebukam “week-to-week” whereas Lewis is “day-to-day.” Assuming Ebukam is going to miss game action, expect a bigger role for rookie JT Tuimoloau. The Colts could really use some playmaking from the second-round pick, who has been a healthy scratch a couple of times this season.
-The clock has started on a potential return to the lineup for cornerback Jaylon Jones (hamstring). On Wednesday, the Colts opened up the 21-day window for Jones to return to the 53-man roster. After missing several weeks in August due to a hamstring injury, Jones aggravated the hamstring injury on a special teams rep in the season opener. Jones has spent more than a month on injured reserve with his return to practice happening Wednesday. While Jones playing on Sunday is no guarantee, it’ll be interesting to see if he gets back for the Steelers or Falcons game, in particular. Those teams have more potent wideouts, and it’s still in the window where Charvarius Ward is on IR. Could Jones, who has been a two-year starter for the Colts, be a (needed) cornerback answer right now?
-In looking back on the first meeting between Colts and Titans, a 41-20 victory for Indy, they jumped on rookie Cam Ward early with a Kenny Moore II pick six. From there, the Colts really pulled away from the Titans in the 2nd half with a highlight reel touchdown run from Jonathan Taylor igniting that. The Colts mostly took advantage of a banged-up Titans offensive line, despite Ward having some productive drives. And Daniel Jones had one of his most impressive plays of the season in escaping a third-down siege of a pass rush to scramble for 17 yards which led to the Colts leading 17-3. The Colts schedule has a ton of travel in it this season, but getting a rookie QB twice in the first eight weeks is a good thing.
-It’s historic what the Colts offense has done to start 2025. We got more into the “football nerds” of Shane Steichen and Daniel Jones here.
-Shane Steichen is definitely impressed by the heater his offense has been on this season. He pointed to 2018 with the Chargers (12-4 team) and 2022 with the Eagles (14-3 team) as some other big-time offensive runs he’s been part of. The most impressive offensive number Steichen has seen from his team? Points. That 33.1 number leads the NFL. Along with that, the Colts balance, multiplicity and diversity is also extremely impressive. This is not some one-dimensional/one-player offense.
-The Colts are an eye-popping 14-point favorite for Sunday vs. the Titans, led by rookie quarterback Cam Ward and interim head coach Mike McCoy. It’s the 12th time since 2000 they’ve been a two-touchdown favorite or bigger. They are 10-1 in such games (losing the season finale in 2021 at Jacksonville).
-Adding a little more on the discrepancy in these two opponents this week, you can call this game “first vs. worst.” The Colts are the best point differential team in the league (plus 96 points, 28 points better than any team in the league). The Titans are the worst point differential team in the league (minus 92 points, 18 points worse than any team). With both teams playing 7 games this season, the Colts have been 188 points better than the Titans this year.
-Have heard the question from many this week in why the Colts and Titans are slotted into the 4:25 window. Part of the reason is Week 8 brings 6 teams on a bye, the most of any week this season. So 3 games have to be in the 4:00 windows, and the Colts and Titans are one of them. Were the schedule makers viewing Cam Ward vs. Anthony Richardson back in the spring as potentially intriguing?
