Colts at Texans, 4:35 p.m. Saturday, ABC/ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Rewind the clock. Back before the playoffs seemed like a possibility, before the Colts started ripping off wins, back to the days immediately after Indianapolis bumbled away a game against the lowly New York Jets.

T.Y. Hilton had just missed his second game in a row due to injury, and the rest of the Colts receivers were a mess. Drops were killing the Indianapolis offense and help seemed awfully hard to find in the middle of the season.

Frank Reich had somebody in mind.

Dontrelle Inman, a 29-year-old veteran of the Chargers and Bears, a receiver who’d been tossed into free-agent waters and hadn’t been able to find any dry land. Reich and Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni had discovered Inman in San Diego.

Now, they were giving him a chance to prove he could still play at this level.

“I just tried to prove Frank right,” Inman said. “Frank and Nick. (Reich) said ‘I believe in you. Just be patient, I’ll get you here some way, somehow.’”

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Fast-forward the clock to Sunday night’s showdown against the Titans with the playoffs on the line, to Andrew Luck escaping the pocket, rolling to his left, firing a bullet to Inman coming free at the back of the end zone, Inman catching the ball and absorbing a crushing hit from Titans enforcer Kenny Vaccaro to score a touchdown, his third with the Colts and second in two games. Fast-forward to Inman setting up the Colts’ third touchdown, torching Tennessee burner Adoree Jackson for 29 yards to the 1-yard line.

With Hilton’s ankle ailing, Inman led the Colts with five catches for 77 yards in the biggest game of the season, making the kind of big catches he’s made ever since Reich, Chris Ballard and the Colts took a chance on him in the middle of the season.

“I just wanted to play,” Inman said. “I still felt like I could ball, still felt like I had something left in the tank.”

Inman finished the regular season with 28 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

His impact has been bigger than the numbers. Adding a veteran receiver at midseason, whether by signing or by trade, is always a dicey proposition. For every Amari Cooper in Dallas, there’s a Golden Tate in Philadelphia, a previously productive player who can’t find his footing in the offense.

Inman had an advantage in Indianapolis. Reich and Sirianni’s offense feels like home to him.

But he still had to build chemistry with Luck.

“There is always a jury out when a new guy comes, and fairly quickly, I think we see the real person,” Luck said. “Dontrelle has just been a pro. … He understands football. He has been in this offense before. He started showing up at the right time in the right place.”

Inman caught six passes for 52 yards in his first active game with the Colts against Oakland, including three conversions on third down and a huge grab of a deflected pass in the second half. On a team that had struggled with drops, Inman quickly established himself as a player with good, strong hands.

Hands that could hold onto the ball even if he took a shot.

Inman is long and lanky, a player who carries less than 200 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame, a player who does not look like the kind of bruiser who can take a shot over the middle and keep on ticking.

The rest of the AFC South quickly found out there’s more to Inman than meets the eye. After the bye week, Jacksonville linebacker Myles Jack delivered a cheap shot to Inman’s head. The next week, Inman caught his first touchdown pass in a Colts uniform, only to get blown up by Malcolm Butler.

Both plays drew flags. Both plays drew a sea of Colts ready to mix it up in Inman’s defense.

Inman needs no protector. He popped back up after both shots and got in his opponent’s face.

“That’s just me,” Inman said. “I think it’s just my nature to defend myself. I hate cheap shots. I think it’s not necessary, I think it’s a shot at you as a man. There’s just something about it that pisses me off.”

Inman’s toughness earned his quarterback’s respect.

When Luck needs a receiver to make a contested catch, it’s often Inman on the receiving end.

“Andrew’s trust in him and appreciation for what Dontrelle brings to the table is really fun to see and hear, just to hear Andrew talk about how that trust has grown,” Reich said. “He is looking for Dontrelle and looking for reasons to throw the ball to Dontrelle.”

The presence of Inman — and arguably the best stretch of Hilton’s career — brought the Colts’ receiving room back from the brink. Chester Rogers, who struggled with drops early in the season, made two of the team’s biggest catches down the stretch; young Zach Pascal turned in a pair of big plays against the Texans.

“We knew, getting him in the building, that we would not only get production from him but leadership,” Reich said. “He has really provided that. I mean, he is a really stabilizing, calming influence in the receiver room.”

Inman’s contribution to the Colts has taken him to a place he's never been before.

The playoffs. When the Colts signed him, they were 1-5 and desperate; now they're in the wild card round.

Inman had to watch and wait while the season started without him; now he’s still playing after more than half the NFL is finished.

“Everybody has those little bumps in their career,” Inman said. “This was one of the bumps in my career. It was the first time I’m just sitting out half of a season and coming in and playing. The Colts, this has definitely been a great boost to my career.”