Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo "optimistic" he will return this week

The Indianapolis Colts were playing without five starters on Sunday as they were embarrassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and besides for Andrew Luck, perhaps the most notable absence was that of left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

Missing his third straight game with an MCL sprain suffered in the team's week 11 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Castonzo said today that he is "optimistic" about returning this week.

Castonzo says he's more than hopeful. He's "optimistic" he returns this week, but "not definitive" yet.

— Steve Andress (@ColtsReporter) December 14, 2015

Castonzo also said he was told when MCL sprain happened the target date was at Jax or this week vs. Houston.

— Steve Andress (@ColtsReporter) December 14, 2015

Getting their starting left tackle back would certainly be a huge boost for a struggling Colts offensive line, to be sure.  With Castonzo out of the lineup, Joe Reitz moved from right tackle to left tackle while rookie Denzelle Good moved into the starting lineup at right tackle.  And though it hasn't been all because of those two, the offensive line has really struggled in recent weeks after playing solid football for much of the season.  The tackles have struggled too, including on Sunday.  According to Pro Football Focus, both Reitz and Good each allowed five quarterback pressures on the day, proving to be questionable bookends to the line in pass protection.  It's easy to point to the loss of Castonzo and the shuffling that occurred as a result of it as the reason for many of the struggles now, so the hope is that when he returns things will improve.