The Indianapolis Colts lost 27-29 against the Houston Texans in their home opener. The Colts defense didn’t have the best performance, allowing 417 yards, including 204 passing and 213 rushing yards, and were on the field for 40 minutes. C.J. Stroud completed 24 passes on 32 attempts for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
The Colts will travel to Lambeau Field to play against the 0-1 Green Bay Packers. The Packers lost a close game to the Eagles last Friday, and Jordan Love suffered a Grade 1/2 MCL sprain on the third to last snap of the game. He could miss anywhere from 3-6 weeks or fewer, depending on his recovery. In the meantime, Malik Willis will start at quarterback.
The Colts’ secondary took a massive hit with their recent injury diagnosis.
The Indianapolis Colts breakout candidate suffered an undisclosed knee injury
![Indianapolis Colts: Placed a Key Defensive Starter on Injured Reserve. He Could Miss the Rest of the 2024 Season 1 Indianapolis Colts, JuJu Brents](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_24188413_168400517_lowres-scaled.webp)
JuJu Brents, their 44th overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, couldn’t stay healthy during his rookie season. He missed the entire offseason workout program with a wrist injury and part of training camp with a hamstring injury. Brents would then miss eight games in 2023 because of a personal matter and six more with a quad injury.
Sports Illustrated had Brents as a breakout candidate for the 2024 season. He recorded seven tackles in 62 (79%) defensive snaps and allowed four receptions on six targets for 79 yards, zero touchdowns, and a 109.7 passer rating in coverage. He suffered an undisclosed knee injury after tweaking his knee during the game.
JuJu Brents could miss the remainder of the season
![Indianapolis Colts: Placed a Key Defensive Starter on Injured Reserve. He Could Miss the Rest of the 2024 Season 2 Indianapolis Colts, JuJu Brents](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_24138032.jpg)
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Colts placed Brents on injured reserve on Tuesday. He will undergo knee surgery, which will determine the length of time he will miss. He could miss the remainder of the 2024 season, which would be a devastating loss to their thin secondary.
Sources: #Colts promising young CB JuJu Brents is headed for Injured Reserve with a season-ending knee injury. The former second-round pick has impressed when on the field.
With the early injury, he’ll be 100% for 2025. But frustrating outcome. pic.twitter.com/TOoDuetLCP
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2024
Joel Erickson of the IndyStar reports that Brents could return in December.
“JuJu Brents will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a significant knee injury that will require surgery, a league source told IndyStar on Tuesday, although the team will leave open the possibility that Brents could return in the final month of the season.”
Who will replace JuJu Brents in the starting rotation?
![Indianapolis Colts: Placed a Key Defensive Starter on Injured Reserve. He Could Miss the Rest of the 2024 Season 3 USATSI 23470141 168400517 lowres](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_23470141_168400517_lowres.webp)
Dallis Flowers will likely take over as the starting cornerback. Flowers opened the 2023 season as a starter but suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 4. He recovered and competed for the other starting spot against Jaylon Jones. Ultimately, Jones won the starting job, and Flowers was a healthy scratch.
Another possibility is Samuel Womack III. Womack spent the first two seasons with the 49ers before getting released during roster cuts in Year 3. The Colts claimed him off waivers. He played in two special teams snaps against the Texans.
Finally, the Colts can afford to sign a free agent with $14.86 million cap space, per Over The Cap. Notable free agents include Xavien Howard, J.C. Jackson, Patrick Peterson, and Ahkello Witherspoon.
For More Great Gridiron Heroics Content:
Follow me on X @JacksonLoschko and follow us @GridironHeroics for more great content. If you have any questions, you can message me on Linkedin. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in NFL and College Football, click here.
Thank you for reading my articles. It is greatly appreciated.
Our Partners
![Indianapolis Colts: Placed a Key Defensive Starter on Injured Reserve. He Could Miss the Rest of the 2024 Season 4 Book An Athlete Appearance MSM 2023 CTA 720x90 1](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Book-An-Athlete-Appearance-MSM-2023-CTA-720x90-1.webp)
![Indianapolis Colts: Placed a Key Defensive Starter on Injured Reserve. He Could Miss the Rest of the 2024 Season 5 book athlete 1 1 600x600 1](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/book_athlete-1-1-600x600-1-300x300.webp)