Yardbarker
x
Indianapolis Colts Work Out Veteran WR Jarvis Landry, Former Second-Round Pick In Bold Push For Playoffs
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Indianapolis Colts Work Out Veteran WR Jarvis Landry, Former Second-Round Pick In Bold Push For Playoffs

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics  |  By Sean Labar  |  Last updated 12/19/23

The Indianapolis Colts have overcome tremendous adversity — and in his first year has the team’s head coach — Shane Steichen has his team competing for a playoff spot in the AFC.

Coming off a commanding win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to pick up another AFC victory, the Colts dramatically improved their chances to make the postseason.

The Indianapolis Colts official website dove into the team’s odds after the Pittsburgh victory.

The playoff odds for each wild card contender (right now, any team with at least seven wins) via the New York Times‘ Upshot playoff predictor:

  1. Browns (88%, up from 85% last week)
  2. Bills (69%, up from 42% last week)
  3. Texans (55%, up from 41% last week)
  4. Colts (52% up from 42% last week)
  5. Bengals (34%, up from 25% last week)
  6. Broncos (19%, down from 50% last week)
  7. Steelers (3%, down from 25% last week)

A Colts win over the Falcons would increase their playoff odds to 64 percent, while a loss would drop them to 38 percent, pending other results in Week 16.

There’s also a team not included in that list of seven above: The Jaguars, whose loss to the Ravens dropped their playoff odds to 72 percent. Current odds to win the AFC South, per the New York Times:

  1. Jaguars (56%)
  2. Colts (22%), Texans (22%)

If the Colts beat the Falcons and the Jaguars lose to the Buccaneers, the Colts will celebrate Christmas in first place in the AFC South, and would control their own divisional destiny with two games remaining.

Indianapolis Colts Work Out Veteran WR Jarvis Landry

While the Colts have found a way to overcome arguably the most adversity in the NFL, they aren’t taking their foot off the throttle.

On Saturday, star WR Michal Pittman Jr. was knocked out of the game and into confusion protocol — and names like D.J. Montgomery, Zach Moss and Mo Alie-Cox hauled in the three touchdowns thrown by backup QB Gardner Minshew, who has filled in for rookie Anthony Richardson who was putting together an impressive inaugural campaign.

On Tuesday, multiple media outlets reporter the Indianapolis Colts were working out veteran WR Jarvis Landry.  In nine NFL seasons, the former LSU star has hauled in 713 receptions in 132 games for 7,780 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Landry had a disappointing 2022 season with the New Orleans Saints, playing in just nine games and finishing the year with 25 catches for just  272 yards and a touchdown.

Could Jarvis Landry Give Indianapolis Colts Late Boost?

It will be interesting if Landry showed enough in the workout to earn a contract.

If he did, this could be a key late-season move for the Colts as they continue to plug holes voided by injury and scrap their way into the NFL playoffs.

Landry has proven he can play in this league at a high level. From 2015-2019, the former second-round pick posted five-consecutive seasons where he surpassed over 900 yards receiving, while eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark in three of those seasons. He also scored at least four touchdowns in each of those five campaigns.

Jarvis Landry’s last breakout season came in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns where he hauled in 83 receptions for 1,179 yards and six touchdowns.

An added wrinkle to this story is Tuesday’s unexpected news that the Indianapolis Colts announced they have suspended cornerback Tony Brown and wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie for the remaining three games of the regular season for conduct detrimental to the team.

The Colts didn’t announce specifics about the conduct. What Brown and McKenzie did to prompt the suspensions was unclear.

McKenzie, a seventh-year pro, has played in 13 games including two starts. He’s also the team’s primary return specialist. He’s recorded 11 catches for 82 yards and 23 punt returns for 204 yards (8.9 yards per return). He’s also returned six kickoffs for 152 yards (25.3 yards per return).

Jarvis Landry also has significant experience returning both punts and kicks, so that’s something to keep an eye on.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.