Ahead of the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 1 matchup with the Houston Texans, kicker Matt Gay will not practice on Wednesday, according to head coach Shane Steichen.
Steichen would clarify that Gay is dealing with a hernia injury, although he did not specify if Gay had surgery. His status for Sunday’s game is up in the air.
#Colts HC Shane Steichen clarifies K Matt Gay's injury. It's a hernia, not a hamstring. Declined to say if Gay had surgery.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 4, 2024
Update: According to Stephen Holder of ESPN, Gay did say that he had surgery. Holder adds that the Colts haven’t ruled out Gay kicking on Sunday at this time.
Gay would suffer the injury in the preseason finale against Cincinnati. In that game, Gay attempted the first extra point, but the remaining attempts were made by undrafted rookie Spencer Shrader.
Gay finished the preseason making all five extra point attempts, but he was just 1-for-4 on field goal attempts with two misses from 50-plus yards.
However, despite the up and down performance, both Steichen and GM Chris Ballard have zero concerns.
“No,” said Ballard when asked if he was concerned about Matt Gay. “He’s a good kicker. A really good kicker.”
Last season, his first with the Colts, Gay would make 33 of his 41 attempts, with five of those misses coming from 50 or more yards–although, it’s important to note that Gay did become the first kicker in NFL history to make four 50-plus yarders in a single game–including the game-winner–in the Colts’ Week 3 matchup against Baltimore.
If Gay is unable to play on Sunday, the team will elevate Shrader from the practice squad. This preseason, Shrader was 4-for-4 on extra point attempts and 2-for-2 on field goals, which included making a 56 yarder against the Bengals.
