INDIANAPOLIS — Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri isn’t sure he’ll play again this season due to a left knee injury.
“I don’t have an answer,” he said Thursday. “I don’t know. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and the next day and the next day.”
Vinatieri, the NFL’s all-time leading scorer, showed up on the Colts’ injury report for the first time this season as a limited participant in practice because of the knee. He’s awaiting the results of an MRI.
“Felt (a pain a) little bit last week and through the game (against Tennessee last week end), and (Wednesday),” Vinatieri said. “Just a little more sharp than what it was before.”
Despite working out 11 kickers at two different times this season, the Colts have stuck with Vinatieri even though he has made a career-low 68 percent of his field-goal attempts this season. He has missed a total of 14 kicks: eight field goals and six extra points. Two of Vinatieri’s misses — at the Chargers and Pittsburgh — cost the Colts games. He also has had three kicks blocked, including one that was returned 63 yards for touchdown against Tennessee in Week 13.
The Colts added insurance at the kicking position when they claimed Chase McLaughlin off waivers Wednesday in case Vinatieri isn’t able to play against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Vinatieri hasn’t missed a game due to an injury since the 2009 season, which was also because of a knee injury.
“If I can go, I’ll go,” said Vinatieri, who didn’t kick during practice Thursday.
McLaughlin has played in seven games this season, four with the Los Angeles Chargers (four) and three with the San Francisco 49ers. He was 13-of-17 on field goals and made all 15 of his extra point attempts.
Vinatieri’s current knee injury is similar to what he dealt with in training camp when he was shut down for a period of time. It’s also bothered him sporadically throughout the worst season of his 24-year playing career.
“If you can be on the field you do everything you can to be on the field,” Vinatieri said.
If this season is Vinatieri’s last, he’ll finish his career as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,671 points and 29-game winning kicks. Three of Vinatieri’s most memorable game-winning kicks occurred when he was with the New England Patriots from 1996-2005. He made a game winner in blizzard-like conditions against Oakland in the 2001 playoffs and winning kicks in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVII.
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