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Stephen HolderESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor will miss his third game of the season Sunday because of a lingering ankle injury.
Taylor reaggravated a previous ankle injury Sunday against the Washington Commanders and will not play in the Colts’ Week 9 road game against the New England Patriots.
Given the repeat injury, the Colts might have to dial things back with Taylor to “kind of give him the rest that he needs,” coach Frank Reich said Friday.
“I thought we had a chance — that it might progress a little bit better than it did this week — but it didn’t,” Reich said. “So, we’ve got to be smart, do what’s right for the player and do what’s right for the team.”
It’s been a difficult year health-wise for the NFL’s 2021 rushing leader, who had never missed a game because of injury entering the 2022 season. First, he battled a toe injury that impacted him for the season’s first few games, then he missed two weeks with the first iteration of this ankle injury.
Taylor had 10 100-yard rushing performances last season, but he hasn’t had one since Week 1 in 2022.
The loss of Taylor comes just days after the Colts traded backup running back Nyheim Hines to the Buffalo Bills. Deon Jackson is likely to start Sunday, with veteran Phillip Lindsay likely to be promoted from the practice squad.
Still to be determined, Reich said, is whether Zack Moss — who was sent to Indianapolis in the Hines trade — is up to speed and able to contribute for the Colts.