The Indianapolis Colts announced they placed starting quarterback Carson Wentz on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday. It is unknown if Wentz tested positive for the coronavirus or is a close contact. Wentz is unvaccinated, so he will be forced to stay away from team facilities for 10 days if he tested positive. That would knock Wentz out for Sunday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Sam Ehlinger is Wentz’s backup, and he is in line to record his first career start.
The 10-day quarantine period would also leave sparse practice time for Wentz for the regular-season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wentz is coming off of an impressive 225-yard, two-touchdown outing in the Christmas win over the Arizona Cardinals. Now, Jonathan Taylor and the rest of the offense will have to find a way to win without him.
Indy currently owns the No. 5 seed in the AFC at 9-6. The 9-6 New England Patriots own the wild card spot behind them, and then there are four teams at 8-7. It goes without saying that these final two games are incredibly important for Indy. According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Colts still have good value to make the playoffs even if Wentz misses the final two games of the regular season. Per Oh, Indy’s playoff chances dip from 98.6 percent to 93.9 percent without Wentz, a change of 4.7 percent. The Colts’ projected win total dips from 10.6 to 10.4.
While Wentz was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the NFL and NFLPA are reportedly in talks to once again alter their COVID-19 protocols. They previously made an adjustment to allow vaccinated players to “test out” of protocols, but this potential new development could benefit unvaccinated players such as Wentz.
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it had shortened the recommended time for isolation for those infected with the coronavirus from 10 days to five days if asymptomatic, followed by five more days of wearing a mask around others. Later Monday evening, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that the NFL and NFLPA are in discussions to change their COVID-19 protocols to reflect the CDC recommendations. It’s unknown if the NFL will change that timeframe from 10 to five days, but it does sound like it will be shortened.
