Indianapolis Colts RB Marlon Mack (ankle) was ruled out after being carted off the field against Jacksonville.
The Indianapolis Colts’ three-headed backfield has not developed according to plan in Week 1.
First, it was Nyheim Hines, the unexpected third portion of the game plan, who emerged first, scoring two first-half TDs and snagging Philip Rivers’ first ever touchdown pass in a Colts uniform.
Unfortunately, the second portion of news on Sunday has sent the Colts back to square one.
When we heard last week that Indy was planning to mostly emphasize Mack, while using second-round pick Jonathan Taylor in relief, we were skeptical. After all, do you really take a collegiate legend at running back that high simply to use him sparingly?
As it turns out, Taylor will take a larger role quicker than anticipated, but not because of any sort of grand reversal of course. Mack exited Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, and was carted off the field midway through the second. He will not return.
#Colts RB Marlon Mack, who exited the game with what was termed an ankle injury, has been ruled out. Not a good sign.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2020
Regrettably, things only got worse from there. The team announced quickly that they fear Mack suffered a torn Achilles, which would end his season almost immediately.
The #Colts fear that RB Marlon Mack has a torn Achilles, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 13, 2020
Even for a team with significant backfield depth, this is disastrous.
Of course, even before Mack’s injury, the plan had gone a bit haywire. Hines had scored two touchdowns, and they weren’t exactly examples of vulturing, either. He’d been heavily a part of the game plan.
Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor fantasy owners seeing Nyheim Hines score his second TD of the first half: pic.twitter.com/qdAkvt1u7w
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 13, 2020
Indianapolis has the offensive depth to withstand a Mack injury, but it’s also unfair to a fan base that’s waited all summer to watch an attack predicated on having three very different and powerful threats out of the backfield all available.
Perhaps it was a wise idea to keep Jordan Wilkins in the locker room after all. Almost a victim of a roster crunch, he may now be called on to play a facsimile of Mack’s intended role.
The season never goes the way you intended it to, does it?
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