INDIANAPOLIS — Colts running back Jonathan Taylor did not practice Wednesday. Taylor has missed the past two games due to a right high ankle sprain suffered late against Pittsburgh.
Taylor has been adamant that this ankle injury is not as serious as the one that cost him parts of two seasons.
But the team's superstar running back has not practiced since Steelers safety DeShon Elliott hit him low late in a Colts win over the Steelers.
"We’ll see how that goes," Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said. "We’ll see how the week goes, but he’s doing a lot better.”
Indianapolis has struggled to run the ball since Taylor got hurt.
The Colts crossed the 100-yard rushing mark in each of the first four games of the season; Indianapolis has not broken that mark since then. Taylor's primary backup, Trey Sermon, is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry, and Taylor's absence has coincided with the loss of starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, a dynamic runner in his own right.
But Taylor's absence has hurt the most.
“He gives us the big play, the home run in the run game, that explosiveness,” Steichen said. “We’ve talked about it before, just the vision that he has, setting up blocks and hitting them.”
Tyler Goodson, the team's No. 3 back, has been the most successful player in Taylor's absence, ripping off runs of 17 yards and 33 yards over the past two weeks to push his yards per carry to an impressive 5.9, although he's not as good as Taylor at turning a 2-yard run into five or six yards.
“Shoot, he’s stepping up, for sure,” Steichen said. “You guys have seen the speed, he broke off a big one last week. He’s got that explosiveness, and the one thing that’s crazy about him is he can finish runs, too. He can finish runs and lower his shoulder.”
The reality is Goodson is not Taylor.
Few running backs in the NFL can make the same kind of impact Taylor makes when he's on the field. Indianapolis could use Taylor's explosiveness back in the offense as soon as possible.
“Goody and Trey have stepped up and done well, too,” Steichen said. “Hopefully we get JT back this week. That’ll be big for our offense.”
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Jonathan Taylor injury history
Taylor missed one game in 2020 with COVID-19, was questionable for one game with a knee injury in 2020 but played, missed a total of 6 games in three stints due to his ankle in 2022 and missed three games in 2023 due to a thumb injury.
Who is Jonathan Taylor's backup on the Colts depth chart?
Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson .
Trey Sermon's fantasy football value
Sermon had 21 yards on 18 carries. He has 83 yards on 37 carries and 2 scores this season with 7 catches for 32 yards.
Tyler Goodson's fantasy football value
Goodson was the far more productive back vs. the Titans with 51 rushing yards on 8 carries and 4 catches for 14 yards. He has 77 rushing yards on 13 carries and 47 receiving yards on 8 catches for the season.
What is Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's injury?
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Taylor is dealing with a sprained ankle. Media outlets have reported that it's a high ankle sprain, which generally has a 4- to 6-week recovery period but can take less or more time to heal.
What are Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's 2024 NFL season stats?
Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 349 yards and 4 touchdowns on 72 carries this season, a 4.8-yard average. He has caught 6 passes for 77 yards, a 12.8-yard average.
on had his first carries of the season -- 5 for 26 yards -- and caught 3 passes for 31 yards against the Jaguars.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jonathan Taylor injury update: Colts RB doesn't practice again Wednesday
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