UPDATE: Jonathan Taylor is just fine. He started the second half and continues to handle a majority of the carries. Whew.
He finished with 18 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns in addition to two catches for 28 yards. He logged 98 of those rushing yards and one of those touchdowns in the second half.
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The Indianapolis Colts have dealt with enough in 2021, and each new bit of bad news is even more unbelievable than the last.
You truly couldn’t imagine the Colts being any more injured than they already are, right? So far, Carson Wentz, Quenton Nelson, Eric Fisher, Braden Smith, TY Hilton, Julian Blackmon, Khari Willis, Xavier Rhodes, Darius Leonard and others have all dealt with some form of serious ailment and either missed extended time or were severely hampered while playing.
On the flip side, the Colts’ lone consistent bright stars have been Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman. The football gods couldn’t possibly allow them to get injured. Enough casualties have been taken already.
Colts fans can’t have nice things this year, though. Taylor went down with an apparent injury in the second quarter of the team’s Thursday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets and didn’t return to the field for the rest of the first half.
Jonathan Taylor is on the bench and surrounded by three members of the training staff.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 5, 2021
Jonathan Taylor missing time would be a serious blow to the Colts.
On a run deep in Jets territory, Taylor took a hard hit from safety Ashtyn Davis and had trouble getting up. Then he was clearly hobbling back to the huddle. For some reason, he remained in the game, took another carry, and it was evident his condition had worsened.
At the moment, it appears to be a knee issue, as he was addressed by the training staff on the sideline. Any missed time for Taylor would be brutal, especially since he had 11 rushes for 74 yards and a score to go along with two catches for 28 yards in the fist half.
Thoughts on the Jonathan Taylor knee hyperextension? Bone bruise, ligament damage…what’re we looking at here? He stayed in for the next play with a noticeable limp then came out and is being evaluated on sideline.@DrJesseMorse pic.twitter.com/7ggkQIhHiT
— Invasive Lanternfly (@WhosMaans) November 5, 2021
Some reasons not to be concerned, though? The Colts had only one drive left in the half when they got the ball back next, and it was a two-minute drill, which typically features Nyheim Hines.
Plus, Indy was up 21-10, so there was no need to force Taylor back onto the field. The offense ended up scoring another touchdown, too, so one could argue there’s no reason to play him for the remainder of the game if there’s any concern regarding his knee that creates further hesitation.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is still on the bench while the rest of the offense is standing up and waiting to go on the field.
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) November 5, 2021
Carson Wentz has largely been good for the Colts, but Taylor has been the lifeblood of the offense. He needs to be protected at all costs.
Stay tuned for updates. We should know more when the teams come out for the second half.
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