Indianapolis Colts Week 6 Stock Report

The Indianapolis Colts' season has been a whirlwind of emotions through five weeks. 

The first two games were enormously depressing for fans, as the team's high-profile offense sputtered against blitz-happy defenses. The third week involved another disappointing start, followed by an adrenaline-pumping fourth-quarter comeback that may have effectively saved the season. 

Then came news of Andrew Luck's shoulder injury and his subsequent absence from the next two games. 

But the anticipated losses turned to critical divisional wins with backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck running the show, and the Colts once again sit with a multigame lead in the AFC South. 

Now, as the dominant New England Patriots squad looms on the schedule, attitudes are dipping down once again. Nobody expects Indianapolis to even compete in this game, much less win. 

On the positive side, that means the Colts have a unique chance to drastically change perception about the franchise with a single game, a chance most teams don't get this early in the season. To do that, however, they'll need big performances from key players. Today we'll take a look at those figures and find out where they sit with just a few days left before the game circled on everybody's calendar. 

Stock Frozen: Andrew Luck

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

If you know what is going on with Andrew Luck and his injured shoulder, you probably work for the Colts. 

Anybody else is just making guesses. 

The Colts have been so secretive about what's going on with Luck, it's no surprise that there have been numerous conflicting reports about his health and future. 

Last weekend, Mike Wells of ESPN.com reported that Luck had a 50-60 percent chance to play against the Patriots on Sunday. However, head coach Chuck Pagano told Kevin Bowen of Colts.com that Luck was a full participant during Monday's light practice. Then on Wednesday, Luck seemed to have full participation when the media was in attendance, according to George Bremer of the Herald Tribune. 

To complete the full Andrew-Luck-Shroud-of-Mystery wheel, Luck was officially labeled as "limited" on the Colts' injury report. Per a video on Colts.com, Luck told the media that he "threw with less restriction" on Wednesday, although "less" doesn't seem to mean "none" here.

It certainly seems like Luck is on track to play Sunday, but you never know with this situation. We thought the same thing for the Jacksonville and Houston games. 

Stock Up: Offensive Line

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

For the second week in a row, the Colts offensive line was rather stout, allowing just four quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus,  and helping Frank Gore rush for 98 yards on the day. 

This was a much more impressive feat for Indianapolis than Week 4, given the fact that they were facing J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney rather than a toothless Jaguars defensive line. Make no mistake, the Texans defense has been bad to start the year, but Watt and Clowney still represent a significant threat. 

Watt was limited to just two assisted tackles and one official quarterback hit, easily the least impactful game against Indianapolis in his career. 

The Colts' offensive line-friendly game plan certainly played a part here, but the line has also been playing better since shifting Jack Mewhort back to left guard, benching Todd Herremans at right guard and playing Joe Reitz at tackle. 

If the Colts continue to game-plan with the line's limitations in mind, the line should look much better than it did to start the season, and so should the Colts offense. 

Stock Down: Josh Robinson

George Bridges/Associated Press

The rookie running back's hopes of gaining a more integral part of the offense took a big hit when he fumbled yet another ball against Jacksonville, but they took an even bigger hit when the team signed former undrafted free agent Zurlon Tipton last week. 

Tipton played against the Texans and split roles with Robinson, with nine snaps to the rookie's eight. 

Then the Colts went out and signed free-agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star, who fit into the Colts offense perfectly last season. 

We don't know how much Bradshaw has left, but it's not a good sign for the Colts' confidence in Robinson. Bradshaw hasn't sniffed any offers from other teams yet this year, surprising for a player who looked like one of the league's best running backs for parts of last season. 

The Colts have been looking for more running back depth ever since UDFA Tyler Varga entered concussion protocol a few weeks ago, and Robinson is clearly not enough. If Bradshaw comes in and plays well, Robinson could slip down into fourth on the depth chart. 

Stock Up: Safeties

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last few years, the Colts have tried to patch up a questionable safety position with veteran guys who have played on numerous teams throughout their careers, signing aging guys to short, cheap contracts. 

That's not a recipe that always leads to success, but it's worked for the Colts, at least for now. 

Dwight Lowery was the hero in the Colts' comeback win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, picking off two passes, including one in the fourth quarter that led directly to the Colts' go-ahead score. 

Mike Adams was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two-interception game on Thursday, a huge part of the Colts' upset win in Houston. 

The Colts' veteran leaders on the back end simply know where to be, even if they aren't the most athletically gifted at this point in their careers. With a cornerback group that is getting healthy, the Colts secondary looks to be coming together. Still, Tom Brady and the Patriots know how to take advantage of weak spots, and Sunday's matchup will be the toughest one the Colts have had by a huge margin. 

Stock Down: Pass Rush

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Everybody knew the Colts pass rush needed help. 

It was no coincidence that one of the veterans the Colts signed this offseason was outside linebacker Trent Cole, in addition to spending a first-round pick on Bjoern Werner in 2013, attempting to develop Jonathan Newsome last year and signing Erik Walden to a $16 million contract back in 2013. 

The Colts have put resources in at pass-rusher, but have been unable to get any capital back. 

The team has just six sacks on the season, tied for the second-fewest in the league. 

Even with Robert Mathis returning, and looking a bit like his old self, the Colts simply don't have a primary edge-rusher. Mathis and Cole can be second or third rushers, but the team has no primary guy, and it's killing the pass defense. 

Unless the Colts find some solution to that problem, the team is going to have a hard time getting through the season with a winning record.