Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. Out vs. Falcons With Concussion, Shoulder Injury

The Indianapolis Colts officially announced that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has been ruled out of the team's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday due to concussion and shoulder issues.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pittman Jr. cleared concussion protocol on Friday and traveled with the team to Atlanta on Saturday but picked up a few symptoms that led to him being placed back into protocol before he was eventually declared out. He was originally listed as questionable.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the Colts' 30-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 after he was hit by safety Damontae Kazee on a pass that fell incomplete. Kazee was suspended for the remainder of the regular season for the hit although he's eligible to return for the playoffs.

When recounting the incident to reporters on Friday, Pittman Jr. didn't remember getting hit.

"I honestly never saw him coming," Pittman said, per Stephen Holder of ESPN. "I was diving, I caught it, and then all of a sudden, I woke up and there's people looking down at me. I was like, 'Oh, s--t, what just happened?"

The former second-round pick was having a career year prior to the injury, hauling in 99 receptions for 1,062 yards and four touchdowns through 14 games this season. He's been a consistent downfield weapon for Indianapolis throughout the past few years, recording 3,069 yards since 2021.

With Pittman Jr. out, rookie wideout Josh Downs should see more targets on Sunday. The former third-round pick has racked up 631 receiving yards in his first season, finding the end zone twice. Wide receiver D.J. Montgomery could also step into a larger role after recording 48 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers.

At 8-6, the Colts are still firmly in the AFC playoff picture. They'll need to overcome the absence of Pittman Jr. to keep their postseason dreams alive, which could be a challenge against a Falcons secondary that owns the eighth-ranked pass defense in the NFL.