Colts will be without two starting offensive linemen on Sunday

The Indianapolis Colts will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but they will be without several key contributors as they do so.  Head coach Chuck Pagano has officially ruled out left tackle Anthony Castonzo (knee), wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (ankle), quarterback Andrew Luck (kidney/abdomen), and right guard Hugh Thornton (elbow).  Center Khaled Holmes (fibula) is questionable.  The good news, though, is that safety Mike Adams (ankle) is probable after missing the past two games.

The biggest thing to notice is the fact that the Colts will be without two of their starting offensive lineman on Sunday, as Castonzo will miss his second straight game with an MCL sprain (which was expected) and Thornton will miss after not practicing this week due to an elbow injury.  With Castonzo out, it's expected that the Colts will again start Joe Reitz at left tackle and Denzelle Good at right tackle, and now they'll need to replace Thornton as well.  That would fall to either Lance Louis or Todd Herremans, both of whom started the season as starting guards but who were benched after week two and haven't cracked the starting lineup since.  If Holmes (who didn't practice the past two days and is questionable) can't go, that would leave the Colts with just one backup lineman - whichever one between Louis and Herremans doesn't start.  Because of that, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Colts add a body for depth along the line (promoting Ben Heenan from the practice squad to the active roster would seem to be the most logical).

The offensive line has been playing better recently, but with all of the shuffling that is going on now there is legitimate reason for concern, and it will be interesting to see how effective the line is for the Colts on Sunday in protecting Matt Hasselbeck and in paving the way for the run game.

The good news, however, is that it sounds like the Colts will be getting Mike Adams back for this weekend's game after he missed the past two games with an ankle injury.  Adams has played very well this year and should provide a boost against a good Steelers offense.  Clayton Geathers did a fine job in Adams' absence, so I'd still expect him to see some opportunities, but it's big for Indy that Adams will (probably) be back.