The Indianapolis Colts could have a new kicker this week, but it has nothing to do with the fact that Adam Vinatieri's been struggling this season. 

The reason their could be a new kicker on the field for Indy is because Vinatieri popped up on the injury report Wednesday with a knee issue, and apparently, the injury is bad enough that his status is now in doubt for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. According to NFL.com, Vinatieri underwent an MRI on Wednesday night and will meet with team doctors on Thursday to determine what the next step will be for the 46-year-old kicker, who turns 47 on Dec. 28. 

If Vinatieri can't go on Sunday, the Colts will replace him with Chase McLaughlin, who was claimed off of waivers on Wednesday. If McLaughlin ends up playing in Tampa, the Colts will become the third team that he's played for this season. The 23-year-old has basically spent his entire season filling in for injured kickers.

Back in October, McLaughlin signed a contract with the Chargers after their starter Michael Badgely went down with an injury. In four games with Los Angeles, McLaughlin was perfect on extra points (7 of 7), but did struggle on field goals, hitting just 66.7% of his kicks (6 of 9). 

After Badgley returned, McLaughin made his way to San Francisco, where he filled-in for an injured Robbie Gould. During his three-game stint with the 49ers, McLaughlin hit 7 of his 8 field goal attempts (87.5 percent), but that one miss was a potential game-winner against the Seahawks in Week 10. For the season, McLaughlin is 13 of 17 on field goals (76.4%) and 100% on extra points (15 of 15). 

Although McLaughlin's field goal numbers aren't great, they are better than Vinatieri's, who is hitting just 68% of his kicks this season (17 of 25). Vinatieri has also struggled on extra points, hitting just 22 of 28 (78.6%). 

If anything, this week could potentially give the Colts a taste of what life will be like without Vinatieri, who has been their kicker since 2006. One reason Vinatieri has lasted so long in the NFL is because he's been one of the league's most durable kickers. The ageless veteran has only missed two games this entire decade, and just 15 total games in his 24-year career, but with his struggles and nagging injuries piling up, it wouldn't be surprising if Vinatieri decided to retire after the 2019 season, especially now that he's the NFL's all-time leading scorer.