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Colts' Spencer Shrader, Mike Hilton OUT Against Raiders

The Indianapolis Colts lost two key players against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader (3) watches his field goal during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025.
Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader (3) watches his field goal during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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During the second quarter of the Indianapolis Colts' Week 5 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, kicker Spencer Shrader went down with a knee injury on an extra point attempt. Raiders safety Tristin McCollum collided with Shrader, drawing a roughing the kicker penalty.

However, Shrader wasn't able to get up and has since then been helped off the field and into the locker room. Shrader won't return to the home tilt. Along with him, starting slot cornerback Mike Hilton also won't see the field for the rest of the game with a shoulder injury.

Chris Lammons will take over where Hilton was for Lou Anarumo's defense.

Shrader has been one of the most efficient kickers in the NFL through five weeks and currently sits at 13/14 field goals made and a perfect 14/14 on extra points. Shrader will finish his game against Las Vegas 2/2 on extra points.

Now, punter Rigoberto Sanchez will fill in as the team's kicker for the rest of the game. The good news is that Sanchez played kicker in college at the University of Hawaii. During his time with the Rainbow Warriors, Sanchez was 21/24 with field goals and 72/74 with extra points.

Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez (blue and white uniform) punts a football during a training camp practice.
Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez (8) kicks the ball Monday, July 28, 2025, during training camp held at Grand Park in Westfield. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We'll have to see how much Sanchez will be relied upon to put up points for Indianapolis. While Sanchez has college experience, Shane Steichen might still elect to go for it on fourth-and-short situations since Sanchez has little to no kicking experience in the pros.

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Colts kicker Spencer Shrader (blue and white uniform) walks off the field with his teammates after a big field goal make.
Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez (8), Indianapolis Colts place kicker Spencer Shrader (3) and Indianapolis Colts safety Cam Bynum (0) celebrate as the leave the field Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, after a game against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. A field goal by Indianapolis Colts place kicker Spencer Shrader (3) won the game for the Indianapolis Colts. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shrader became the Colts' starting kicker once the team decided to move on from Matt Gay after several misses from 50-plus yards. Initially, it was seen as a bit of a wild move, given how little Shrader had played last year for his rookie season.

However, Indianapolis appears to have made the correct decision. Gay hasn't had a terrible 2025, sitting at 7/10 for field goals and 10/10 on extra points with the Washington Commanders. But, Shrader is on a heater and even won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September.

If Shrader has to miss any additional time, it might lead to Indianapolis signing a new starter to fill in while Shrader recovers. Indianapolis hasn't been the greatest at scoring touchdowns, and have leaned heavily on their kicking unit to produce points.

While it's a kicker for the Colts, it means a lot not to have an ace like Shrader. It will be interesting to see how Shane Steichen and special teams coach Brian Mason approach this situation.

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Drake Wally
DRAKE WALLY

Drake Walley is a co-deputy editor of Indianapolis Colts on SI. His works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, Yahoo, and SBNation. He also co-hosts the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast.

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