The Indianapolis Colts headed into Week 2 with high hopes of bouncing back from the season-opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens, going on the road to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately, despite putting up a fight and forcing overtime, the Colts still fell short against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Along with falling to 0-2 to start the 2026 NFL season, Indianapolis also saw star wide receiver Alec Pierce go down with a heel injury and not return to the game, leading to concerns about his status heading into Week 3.
Alec Pierce Set to Miss ‘Several Weeks’ With Heel Injury
The biggest concern for the Colts was the fact that Pierce was coming off surgery on the heel he injured, which obviously isn’t great news for Indianapolis, especially after recently signing him to a lucrative contract extension.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Pierce will miss several weeks with the injury, but won’t undergo surgery to address it.
“Colts star WR Alec Pierce, who aggravated a heel injury that was surgically repaired, will attempt to rehab the ailment rather than have surgery, sources say,” Rapoport wrote on his X account. “Pierce is slated to be out several weeks while he heals, but if all goes well, he could return midseason.”
Obviously, this is not ideal for the Colts, who haven’t won a game since Week 10 of last season, and actually looked pretty good on Sunday night against the Chiefs.
Pierce was expected to be veteran quarterback Daniel Jones‘ primary target downfield this season. Now the team will have to pivot, with the Colts needing to lean heavily on wide receivers Josh Downs, Laquon Treadwell, and Keenan Allen, as well as talented tight end Tyler Warren.
Following Pierce’s injury, Downs led the way with seven catches for 72 receiving yards.
Star running back Jonathan Taylor kept the team in the game, with 132 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns.
Shane Steichen Shares Message to Colts After Second Loss
After a red-hot start to the 2025 NFL season, with Jones and Taylor looking like NFL MVP candidates, the Colts fell off a cliff, losing their final seven games.
Now the team has lost nine straight games, with the two losses to start the 2026 season, prompting head coach Shane Steichen to share the following message with his team, via the team’s postgame press conference.
“I told them keep your freaking heads up, dude,” Steichen said of his message to the team. “It’s a long a– season ahead of us, and we’re battling like crazy. That’s the message, and we gotta continue to grow and learn, and we got a lot of football left.
“Like I said last week, we’re right there. We gotta find a way to win at the end. That was one of those games. It’s a freaking hard a– league, and you gotta find a way to win these tight games.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Colts in Week 3, as they’ll have to face the stout defense of the Houston Texans, who will be hungry for a bounce-back win after losing to the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals in consecutive weeks.
Colts’ Alec Pierce Injury News Hints at Long-Term Absence