The Colts suffered a terrible loss on the field tonight, as they fell to the Patriots 42-20. There's plenty to talk about from the loss, but regardless of how bad you think it was (and it was really bad), there's something that could be much worse for the Colts stemming from the game: the injuries to tight end Dwayne Allen and running back Ahmad Bradshaw. And if they're out for extended periods of time, it makes tonight's defeat only the second worst loss for the Colts.
Allen was injured in the first half as he had his ankle rolled up on. He was diagnosed with a right ankle injury and didn't return. Then in the second half, running back Ahmad Bradshaw was injured and limped off the field to the sideline. After getting looked at, he limped back to the locker room without his shoe or sock on his left foot. The Colts announced it as an ankle injury and that Bradshaw was undergoing X-Rays. He did not return to the game either.
If you were to pick out the Colts' most important offensive player outside of Andrew Luck, Dwayne Allen and Ahmad Bradshaw would be two of the leading vote getters. Their impact truly is hard to fully explain and their losses would be devastating if the Colts are forced to play without them for any extended period of time. Of course, we don't know the extent of the injuries yet so this is just speculation, but it's reason to worry based purely on the importance of both to the offense.
Believe it or not, tonight's loss isn't the end of the world for the Colts. While the atmosphere might have felt like a playoff loss, the Colts aren't packing up their lockers and going home after this. They'll continue to play, and they've got a matchup with the Jaguars coming up in Indianapolis next week. They can overcome this loss. But the loss of Dwayne Allen and/or Ahmad Bradshaw for an extended period of time? I'm not sure they could overcome that nearly as well.
So right now we just sit, cross our fingers, and wait, hoping for some good injury news for the Colts.
[UPDATE:] Chuck Pagano tonight called Allen's ankle injury "mild," adding that both him and Bradshaw would undergo MRIs.
[UPDATE 2:] Well, crap.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ahmad Bradshaw on crutches in Colts locker room after the game. Not a good sign for him. <a href="http://t.co/31WIondDRO">pic.twitter.com/31WIondDRO</a></p>— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) <a href="https://twitter.com/zkeefer/status/534208052506165248">November 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
[UPDATE: 11/17, 4:31 p.m.] Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said this afternoon that Bradshaw suffered a fractured fibula last night and is undergoing further evaluation from other doctors and specialists. Pagano said he should know more in the coming days as to whether the injury will end the running back's season or not. Read the full story about Bradshaw's injury and Pagano's comments here.