INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Michael Pittman Jr. had been playing through a back injury all season. But he didn’t say what exactly it was, until Monday. He had a “little back fracture” that had been bothering him as early as the joint practices with the Cardinals in training camp in August. He got a scan in Week 3 that he said was really telling. But he decided to play through the injury. He was getting scans every four weeks, but that stopped eventually. “I just got a point, I’m like ‘I don’t really care what the scan says, I’m going to play either way,'” Pittman Jr. said. It was his teammates that motivated him to play through the back injury. “That’s just what you have to do for the guys because this isn’t a fair weather sport,” Pittman Jr. said. “Guys like Quenton (Nelson), Jonathan Taylor, D-Buck (DeForest Buckner), they deserve my best even when maybe I’m not feeling up to it.” “It’s a privilege to play in this league and I don’t take any game lightly,” Pittman Jr. said. When the injury first happened, the training staff said it was it was almost certainly going to get worse. Pittman Jr. said he was going to get a scan on Monday and he would figure out the severity of the injury then. Pittman Jr. said that surgery is definitely a possibility. The Colts captain had his least productive season since his rookie year in 2024. He had 69 catches for 808 yards and three touchdowns. More Colts coverage DeForest Buckner on Colts defense: ‘ego gets in the way’ Shane Steichen sends strong message to Colts fans Irsay: ‘I believe in Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen’