PITTSBURGH — Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich said quarterback Jacoby Brissett will undergo further testing after suffering a knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brissett suffered the injury early in the second quarter on a pass attempt to running back Jordan Wilkins; a teammate was pushed into the quarterback's left leg, causing him to go to the ground in pain.
After being tended to on the field by trainers, Brissett would jog off the field under his own power before going into the medical tent at the sideline, with backup quarterback Brian Hoyer coming on in relief. Reich said at that point, the team decided to go with Hoyer the rest of the way.
"Just had to make a decision," Reich told reporters after the game. "I really don't think he was good enough to go. We made the best decision for Jacoby and for the team, really, to hold him out. He was hobbling pretty bad."
Reich said an initial diagnosis indicates a possible MCL injury for Brissett, but he will undergo further testing to determine the exact type of injury and its severity. His immediate status for next Sunday's Week 10 home game against the Miami Dolphins is unknown.
"I think at this point it looks like a sprain, but we'll see to what degree," Reich said. "I think we've gotta see how it responds."
With Brissett out, Hoyer — taking his first snaps as a member of the Colts — completed 17-of-26 passes (65.4 percent) for 168 yards with three touchdowns to one interception for a quarterback rating of 105.9.
Hoyer also got the Colts into position to knock in a potential game-winning field goal, down two points, 26-24, with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. But Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard attempt was wide left, and the Steelers would kneel it out from there to escape with the home victory.
"I thought Brian came in did pretty well," Reich said. "He did a lot of good things."
