6:54 p.m. update: No surprises in the Colts inactives.
Our inactives for #INDvsAZ: pic.twitter.com/qzss0uLPux
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 25, 2021
6:50 p.m. update: Both Moore and Conner are inactive for the Cardinals.
Week 16 Inactives: pic.twitter.com/6MZS10ErXs
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 25, 2021
4 p.m. update: The Colts placed linebacker Darius Leonard, wide receiver Zach Pascal, and safety Khari Willis on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. With practice squad additions, the roster is at 52 players. Those three will not play but will not appear on the inactives list for Saturday’s game.
The Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts head into Saturday’s primetime matchup as two playoff teams trending in opposite directions. The Cardinals are 3-4 in their last seven games after a 7-0 start, including back-to-back losses in Weeks 14 and 15. The Week 15 defeat was particularly rough, as it came against the Lions. The Colts are coming off a big win in Week 15 over the red-hot Patriots. Indianapolis has gone 5-1 since a tough overtime loss to the Titans.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET, which means we will see the inactives reports at approximately 6:45 p.m. We know the status of some expected inactives, but there are still some questions for both teams as to who will suit up.
The only definite inactive for the Cardinals is defensive end Jordan Phillips, who has been ruled out with a knee injury. However, the Cardinals could be without two key skill players, as running back James Conner and wide receiver Rondale Moore did not practice the entire week and are listed as questionable. Conner has been one of the top running backs in football, while Moore is expected to see more opportunities with DeAndre Hopkins out for the rest of the regular season. Center Max Garcia is questionable with a knee injury. Tight end Zach Ertz logged a full practice to close out the week, but bears monitoring as he’s dealing with a hamstring injury.
For the Colts, center Ryan Kelly and safety Andrew Sendejo are both listed as out and will be inactive. Kelly is dealing with a personal matter while Sendejo is in the concussion protocol. Quenton Nelson missed a practice with an illness but is expected to play in the game after closing the week with a full session.