Both Pieces Gone at Once

Keenan Allen's three-game suspension is confirmed, and it lands the same week Alec Pierce went to injured reserve. The Colts built their receiving room around two veterans capable of moving the chains in critical situations. Right now, neither one is available.

Josh Downs is the name at the top of the depth chart, and he had a productive 2025 — 58 catches for 566 yards and four touchdowns over 16 games. That's a legitimate secondary receiver. What it isn't is a lead option for a quarterback working through his first full season back from a torn Achilles. Michael Pittman Jr. remains in the mix, and he was the team's most reliable target through the middle of last season, finishing with seven receiving touchdowns. Jones will lean on both of them. He doesn't have much choice.

The piece I wrote last Sunday noted that Pierce's IR placement left the Colts down to whoever's left. That was before Allen's suspension made it official on both fronts simultaneously. The room now runs through Downs, Pittman, and whatever Anthony Gould and the remaining depth can provide. Jonathan Taylor will carry a heavier load out of the backfield — he caught 46 passes last season, and that number is probably going up.

Three games is the window. Allen can return after that, assuming no further complications from the legal situation that's been hanging over this roster since August. Whether the Colts can stay functional in the passing game until then is the only question worth tracking right now.