In what will surely be a big blow to the Colts' very solid pass defense, Indianapolis starting cornerback Marlin Jackson confirmed Thursday that he has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The unfortunate injury reportedly occurred on the last play of Wednesday's practice -- it's the second straight year that Jackson's suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The timing is especially bad for the Colts, as they gear up to face the league's third-ranked passing attack this weekend, in the Houston Texans. This also further jumbles the situation as to who will guard superstar wideout Andre Johnson, considering Kelvin Hayden is also banged up for the Colts.
The timing for Jackson is actually worse than it is for his team. He's scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 season and he likely won't be healthy enough to prove himself until most teams will have filled their most pressing depth chart needs.
The Colts (7-0) face a big test this weekend against the upstart Texans (5-3). Johnson leads the NFL with 697 receiving yards. He also led the NFL with 1,575 receiving yards last season. The Texans average 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air per game.
The Colts do have a solid pass defense, ranking seventh in the NFL, but they haven't faced a high-powered attack like Houston provides and this injury further presents a challenge.
Jackson was a first round draft pick out of Michigan for the Colts back in 2005. He has been a starter, when healthy, for the past three seasons. One notable play for Jackson was he made the interception which iced the game in the Colts victory over New England for the 2006 AFC Championship. He has battled injuries the past two seasons, but the Colts are better with him on the field.
