The Indianapolis Colts had a monstrous win with their 33-8 ousting of the Miami Dolphins, but they left the game banged up. Former UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu appears to be injured ahead of the Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
According to Colts Wire, the Colts are littered with injuries along their starting defense, including cornerback Charvarius Ward with a concussion, cornerback Jaylon Jones with a hamstring injury and their 2024 first-round pick defensive end Latu. Colts Wire has more:
“Laiatu Latu popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury and was limited,” Colts Wire said. “He played 31 snaps on Sunday–the most among any defensive end on the team.”
Latu has suffered injuries throughout his collegiate and professional career, but he has the athleticism and ability to be a star in the league when he’s healthy. As a rookie, Latu got 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, according to ESPN.
He started the season off strong with an interception against the Dolphins and if he was to miss the Broncos game, it would be a major loss to their defense.
The Broncos second-year quarterback Bo Nix struggled in his Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans. He completed 25-of-40 passes for a touchdown, but threw 2 interceptions. Although the Titans acquired Oluwafemi Oladejo in the second round of the draft, their defense is no where near a top-defense in the NFL.
Nix could be looking for a chance at redemption after his mediocre performance to start the season and with Ward and Latu questionable and Jones confirmed out, the Broncos will be facing a severely weakened defense if none of them are able to get on the field.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Former Bruins are part of Colts’ defensive injuries
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
