T.Y. Hilton's MRI was Negative, Expected Back at Practice this Week

After yesterday's win against the Texans, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said that the only injury of note from the game was to T.Y. Hilton, who left the game early with a hamstring injury and would undergo further tests.  That resulted in a lot of nervousness among Colts fans, but you can breathe easily now: at his press conference this afternoon, Pagano said that Hilton's MRI came back negative and that he is fine.  Pagano said that he expects to have Hilton at practice later this week, whether Wednesday or Thursday.

This is obviously great news for the Colts, as they couldn't have afforded to have their number one receiver miss any significant time.  This season, Hilton has caught 82 passes for 1,345 yards and 7 touchdowns - his yardage total ranking him among the best in the NFL this year and nearly twice as much as the Colts' second leading receiver.  He's on pace for 1,537 yards receiving this year, which would rank as the third-highest total in Colts' history.  Hilton's impact to the Colts' offense is hard to overstate and it's huge that he is fine and should be back soon.

Of course, the Colts will take it easy with Hilton's injury and with other injuries too.  They have already locked up the AFC South division and are guaranteed a home playoff game, so they have a luxury to be able to rest players who need it.  Chuck Pagano has said that they won't rest their starters unless they feel it is best to do so due to injury and health reasons.  The Colts will take it easy with Hilton, but the good news is that his MRI came back negative and he is fine.