INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The cure for what’s been ailing T.Y. Hilton is something he’d just as soon not be dealing with.
That would be rest, and the Indianapolis Colts’ veteran wideout has plenty of that on the heels of Saturday’s 31-13 AFC divisional playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Hilton has been dealing with an injury to his right ankle suffered in week 14 at Houston – he’s practiced twice in the last six weeks, each time on a limited basis – and aggravated it against the Chiefs.
“Yeah, I got it pretty good on one of my routes,’’ Hilton said. “I finally get to rest. It needs rest.
“I’ve got a low and a high ankle sprain on one ankle. So I’m dealing with two injuries in one, which is pretty tough. But I dealt with it. I gave the team everything I had. It was a great season.’’
Hilton finished the regular season with 1,270 yards and six touchdowns on 76 catches. It marked his fifth 1,000-yard season in the last six years. He had five catches for 85 yards in the Colts’ opening playoff win at Houston, then added four catches, 60 yards and a 29-yard touchdown against the Chiefs.
“T.Y. is a baller,’’ Andrew Luck said. “What that guy has been through with his ankle injury and his ability to perform and at a top, top level is special.’’
Hilton also missed two games early in the season with chest and shoulder injuries.
Offensive inefficiency
The Colts brought one of the NFL’s most productive and efficient offenses to Arrowhead. It ranked 7th in total yards, 5th in scoring, 1st in third-down conversions and 5th in red-zone efficiency.
They never got untracked in any of those areas.
“We could not establish a rhythm and that hurt,’’ Luck said. “It was tough sledding.’’
The offense opened the game with four consecutive three-and-outs. By the time it converted its initial first down, less than 2 minutes remained in the second quarter and the Colts trailed 24-7.
“All year long we have been good on third downs and we came out early and we could not convert,’’ Frank Reich said. “They were converting. Against that offense, we knew we were going to have to be sharper than that and did not do that.’’
The first drive ended when tight end Eric Ebron dropped a Luck pass on third-and-3.
“We started off way too slow,’’ he said. “Started off way too slow for a team that we knew had firepower. Offensively, we didn’t play our game. We were first in third downs and I don’t think we converted any today. It was not our day.’’
The Colts led the league by converting 48.6 percent of their third downs during the regular season. Saturday, they were 0-for-9. It marked just the fourth time since 1984 the Colts failed to convert at least one third down.
“You just have to tip your hat to them,’’ Ebron said. “You don’t come to play, you’re not going to win.
“I don’t think we came to play, myself included. This offense didn’t come to play.’’
The Colts finished with just 263 total yards, including 87 on the ground. Luck’s pass protection yielded three sacks and two other hits.
Leonard busy
Linebacker Darius Leonard finished his rookie season with a flourish. He led the Colts with 14 tackles, including 10 solos, and added one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Cornerback Kenny Moore II added 12 tackle, 2 sacks, two tackles for loss and two defended passes.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.
