INDIANAPOLIS — Braden Smith isn’t the type to talk about the pain.

Not in detail, anyway.

The big, hulking Colts right tackle injured a hip in practice in October and missed four games, returned to the lineup for two games and then suffered a knee injury three snaps into the Indianapolis win over Tennessee, forcing Smith to miss three more games.

Smith politely declined to reveal the nature of the knee injury this week, preferring to keep those details to himself.

But it is clear Smith is playing through a lot of pain. In the moments after Sunday’s win over the Raiders, Smith’s first game back in the lineup since injuring his knee, the Colts right tackle was standing just outside the locker room, leaning against a wall in pain.

“He went out there and just battled through a lot,” Indianapolis right guard Will Fries said. “Obviously, he’s gone through a lot this year, but to have him out there, to have him play the way he did … it’s just awesome.”

Smith played 55 of a possible 56 snaps against the Raiders on Sunday, returning to the lineup in time to shut down Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby, a superstar who made six tackles and forced a fumble but failed to put much pressure on Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew, recording no sacks and just one quarterback hit.

“It was huge for us, he’s been such a good player here for such a long time,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “He’s been battling through some stuff this year, and gosh, to have him out there a few days ago, battling against one of the best players in the league, and I would say holding his own. … He played really, really good football after a little bit of time off.”

The powerful Smith also played a critical role in the running game, springing Jonathan Taylor for 96 yards on 21 carries against a Raiders defense that had been suffocating rushing attacks over the course of the past month.

“He’s the polar bear,” Fries said. “He’s just strong. He mauls people in the run game.”

Facing a must-win situation against Las Vegas, the polar bear knew he had to get back on the ice.

“Back to be out there with my brothers, it’s just joyful to be out there with them,” Smith said. “It’s another opportunity; you don’t know how many of them you’re going to get, so just being able to go out there and cherish the moment means a lot.”

But that doesn’t mean it was easy.

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None of this has been easy. Without getting into details, Smith acknowledged Tuesday that the knee injury factors into the way he plays the game right now, a reality that makes Sunday’s performance against Crosby even more impressive.

“Having been in that situation before, it’s hard to get kind of in a routine, kind of get rolling playing, week after week,” center Ryan Kelly said. “But obviously, he’s immensely important in the run game, pass game; being here for six years, a really tight-knit part of the o-line. It’s awesome to have him back.”

Crosby’s one of the NFL’s best pass rushers; he can blow by a lot of fully healthy tackles.

Smith kept Crosby away from Minshew Sunday on something less than two legs.

“At the end of the day, the focus is on playing to the best of my ability,” Smith said. “I’m not going to let anything mentally, physically stop me from doing that, so whatever I’ve got to do to get that done, that’s what I’m going to do.”

He has been forced to fight his way back from injury before.

Smith hurt his foot in the 2021 season opener and sat out six games, battling an injury that lingered longer than anybody expected, and there have been a handful of other minor injuries during this career in Indianapolis, the kind that come with playing offensive line in the NFL.

But this has been different, one serious injury followed almost immediately by another, pain and rehabilitation dominating the season.

“I mean, it’s tough mentally, obviously tough physically,” Smith said. “It’s just kind of one of those years when sometimes things don’t always go your way. I think there’s things to be learned from that, and it teaches perseverance. It really shows your character.”

He has leaned heavily on his faith to help him through the darkest times.

A competitor who has been designated a linchpin of the Colts offensive line, Smith wants to be on the field, and his faith has helped him deal with the disappointment of spending so many weeks in the training room and off the field this season.

“I’m a big believer in God, so I feel like He’s going to put you through certain things so you can honor and glorify His kingdom further,” Smith said. “We don’t really know how that’s going to be; it’s all part of a plan. It’s been frustrating, but I trust God’s plan for me. Take that each day and just trust Him.”

The rest of the Colts have watched Smith handle his pain this season.

Smith prefers to keep those details private publicly, but his teammates see him going through treatment in the training room, watch him gut it out to get back on the field, have a much better idea how hard it is to play through pain than the rest of us.

The Colts didn’t need to see Smith in that hallway on Sunday to know how much pain he’s playing through.

“I think it was huge for his teammates, just knowing that he’s pushing through a ton of difficult stuff,” Cooter said. “That goes a long way in a huddle. That goes a long way around a team, sort of showing what you’ve got to help the team out.”

Indianapolis needs Smith right now, right there on the brink of a playoff berth.

And he’s doing whatever he can to be there for them, anchoring the right side of the offensive line against anybody and everybody the NFL can throw at him.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Braden Smith, a 'polar bear,' powering through pain, playoff push