NFL Update: Colts Joseph Addai and Clint Session Expected To Return Against Raiders
After a long hard season for the Indianapolis Colts, they are pleased to have a bit of good news.
Running back Joseph Addai is expected to return for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders, after being out for eight weeks with a shoulder injury.
"I feel like it's a great chance. I feel like I'm heading in the right direction," Addai said Thursday, one day after participating fully in practice. "I felt good. I didn't set myself back. Really, I'm just happy to put on a uniform and just
get back into it."
Clint Session, linebacker, also plans to play on Sunday, after breaking his arm and dislocating his elbow, causing him to miss the last seven games.
The returns come a week after star wide receiver Austin Collie was ruled out for the rest of the season, suffering his second concussion of the season last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Addai has run 5,280 yards in his five year career, and has had 46 touchdowns. He sustained a nerve injury in his left shoulder in their game against the Washington Redskins, in which he rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown.
"He understands all the nuances," Coach Jim Caldwell said. "He is very, very smart. He's a guy that can make you miss, but also has power and catches the ball out of the backfield. He's also a very good pass protector."
With Addai, the Colts had an average of 95 rushing yards. Without him, they were down to 78. He also increases their average yards per carry and, in general, have more possession time with Addai.
Caldwell did not say if Addai would be starting or how many carries he would make. Donald Brown, who substituted Addai, just had a career best 129 yards in last week’s game, making Indy’s ground attack much stronger.
"A lot of it just depends on where he is when we finish the week," Caldwell said.
"We'll get a real good sense of that. After we make that assessment, we'll make a determination on how Joe will play for us."
The Colts are 8-6 and leading the AFC South. They will try for their third straight win next week at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Since Indy won over the Jags last week, both teams are tied at number one. If the Jags won, they would have been the division champions. But the Colts need to win two more games to make it to the playoffs.
The Raiders are 7-7, but are 5-0 in their division. They lost all of five games outside of their division, the AFC South. They will play against the Kansas City Chiefs in the last game of the season, but may become the first team in the history of NFL divisions
to win every single division game, but fail to make it to the playoffs.
Their game next week will start at 4:05 PM ET on Sunday December 26th.
Stay tuned!
Tags: