Spencer Shrader is supposed to be injured.
The Indianapolis Colts‘ kicker spent Week 3 on the injury report.
But on Sunday afternoon, you wouldn’t have known it. Shrader is blasting field goals in for the Colts.
So was this not as bad as might’ve been thought? That’s a fair conclusion, but it also seems like Shrader is pushing successfully through the pain.
Colts Kicker Injury
Shrader was officially questionable on the final injury report for Sunday’s game.
It was the kind of injury that didn’t seem like it’d be great for kicking: a groin problem.
Shrader, a strong-legged right-footed kicker, has turned into a really reliable player for the Colts. But a groin injury for a kicker? That doesn’t seem ideal.
The Colts had a good sign heading into the weekend, because they didn’t make any obvious kicker roster moves. To prepare for a kicker absence, teams usually make it pretty obvious with some kind of transaction.
The Colts didn’t do that, and so it seemed like Shrader would go.
But at the same time, the Colts had punter Rigoberto Sanchez handling kickoffs on Sunday. They clearly weren’t totally sold on how Shrader’s ailment was doing.
He proved himself to be up to the task, though.
Spencer Shrader Long Field Goal
There was some speculation on social media that the Colts would only call on Shrader for field goals on the shorter side of things.
He got tested like that early, and he made a 39-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
But near the halftime intermission, the Colts had a decision to make. They could bring on Shrader for a 58-yard field goal, or they could do something else.
Their choice? Try the kick.
Shrader rewarded them with the long-range bucket for a 13-7 lead.
That doesn’t mean Shrader couldn’t feel more pain at some point.
But at least through the first half on Sunday, Shrader was proving just what he could do. It had to feel pretty rewarding for Shrader to work hard all week to be on the field and then to deliver for his team.
Colts Kicker Injury: Spencer Shrader Makes Statement