The 2021 NFL Season is living its first key moment: with just two more games left, the ticket to Playoffs can be assured or lost. The whole year job can be broken into pieces. For that reason, the teams need to have all of their weapons ready and available. In the case of Indianapolis Colts, there is at least one good news after COVID-19 punched them hard: the return of their center Ryan Kelly.
Even being eliminated and saying goodbye to NFL's Playoffs is nothing compared to the pain Kelly has passed by in the last days. On December 17, he announced the loss of his daughter, Mary Kate. The infant had heart failure 19 weeks into his wife's, Emma, pregnancy.
For that powerful reason, Ryan Kelly was not available for the two last games of Colts. His team tried to comfort him with its victories against New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. These results put Indianapolis in an advantageous position: one win takes them to Playoffs.
Ryan Kelly's emotional words on his return to Colts
On his first press conference after returning to Colts, Ryan Kelly opened his heart to the media and showed what he was feeling in these tragic times for his family, in which he has to split between the indescribable pain because of his daughter loss and the professional behavior he must-have for his team's good.
“It just feels right to be back.I know that being here is where I need to be right now, even it doesn’t make it any easier. I’m just taking it a day at a time.This is the hardest thing that either of us has ever and hopefully will ever have to go through", said Ryan.
Also, the center picked in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft thanked for the support he received from all of Colts players and staff: : “Chris and Frank couldn’t have been more understanding, they knew in their hearts that I wasn’t going to be ready to go on Christmas Day to play that game. I mentally wouldn’t be there".
Indianapolis Colts current record on the NFL American Conference is 9-6-0 and will face Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, January 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium to assure its presence in the 2021 season Playoffs. The team is still waiting for news related to its starting quarterback Carson Wentz availability for Sunday after he was put on the reserve list due to COVID-19.
