The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 27-24 victory on Sunday, but it came at a cost. The Colts lost two of their starters: quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor.
Richardson was injured in the first quarter after taking a hard hit, and could be seen grabbing his hip. Backup quarterback Joe Flacco came in for two snaps, and it seemed Richardson might have been OK, as he came back onto the field. However, head coach Shane Steichen called a quarterback run play, which led to another hit on Richardson, this time helmet-to-helmet, and Richardson left the field again. That decision from Steichen has been roundly criticized, for having Richardson run when he had just been injured.
Taylor was injured in the fourth quarter, and though he seemed anxious to get back into the game, Steichen kept him off the field. Afterwards, he seemed to be optimistic. “Feeling pretty good,” Taylor told reporters. “We came out with the win, so I’m excited to attack this week.”
Jonathan Taylor
— Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) September 29, 2024
It appears he suffered a right ankle sprain.
There’s 2 possibilities here but the most likely is mild high-ankle sprain today, as you can see his foot/cleat gets trapped, the other possibility is a mild medial ankle sprain.
If you remember he suffered a… pic.twitter.com/UaW08b0IOC
Yesterday, Steichen gave scant updates on both Richardson and Taylor, but indicated that there are currently no plans to put either on the Colts' injured reserves, and that both will undergo testing. “I don’t right now,” he said. “We’ll see how the week progresses.”
Richardson is currently considered day-to-day, and Taylor has an ankle sprain that could potentially mean he'll miss a few weeks. Tom Pelissero reported on X that Richardson has oblique and abdominal strains and has a good chance of playing Sunday. And while Taylor could have to sit out during the Colts game against the Jaguars, his ankle sprain is considered to be mild.
While Flacco proved more than capable of leading the Colts to victory, the overall offense suffered without Richardson at the helm. Despite the inaccuracy that has plagued him earlier in the season, Richardson was playing well Sunday before his injury. "(Richardson) was on fire," Steichen said. "He was on fire to start the game."
With Flacco, the offense was less dynamic than it had been with Richardson. The run game clearly suffered, and at 39, Flacco simply doesn't have the arm strength anymore to make the deep throws that Richardson is capable of. Flacco is a great quarterback, and the Colts can likely still win with him leading the team, but without Richardson, the offense will be limited to short-to-medium range passes and a less-dangerous run game.
The Colts will be in even more trouble if Taylor isn't able to play. He has had a phenomenal season so far, and he's currently projected to get almost 1,500 rushing yards by the end of the year. Trey Sermon is capable, but he simply does not compare to Taylor.
Granted, the Colts are playing the currently-winless Jaguars Sunday, so some may argue that this could be the best week for the Colts to lose their two star players on offense. But the Jaguars, despite not having won yet, could still be dangerous; they have been competitive in three of their four games so far, and they will be desperate to bring home a win Sunday and avoid going 0-5. The Colts can't afford to get complacent, and having Richardson and Taylor healthy and ready to play can only make their chances of winning even higher.