The Indianapolis Colts are currently the seventh seed in the AFC and hold a Wild Card Spot heading into Week 13. However, they are dealing with an injury to one of their best players as running back Jonathan Taylor suffered a thumb injury that is going to require surgery. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks and is hopeful to return without being placed on Injured Reserve.
RB Jonathan Taylor will undergo surgery on his thumb and is hopeful to return in 2-3 weeks, per @RomeovilleKid pic.twitter.com/K41FcgcTrf
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) November 28, 2023
This is obviously a huge blow to the Indianapolis Colts as Jonathan Taylor has been one of the best running backs in the National Football League. He has 100 rushing attempts for 414 yards (4.1 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns as well as 16 receptions for 137 yards (8.6 yards per catch) with a touchdown reception this year.
With Taylor’s injury, the Indianapolis Colts are going to be looking at Zack Moss to step up. He has been doing well with 672 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on the season. With backup quarterback Gardner Minshew III leading the way, this team has proven to be a serious threat for one of the AFC Wild Card spots throughout the season.
How will the Indianapolis Colts offense do without Jonathan Taylor going forward?
The Indianapolis Colts have already dealt with life without Jonathan Taylor in the backfield as he missed a few games to start the season as he was recovering from hamstring and back injuries. However, this team is most effective with Taylor and Moss as a 1-2 punch but this thumb injury is going to play a huge factor into the season.
If Taylor is able to return in three weeks, the team can survive but any setback could be deadly for their postseason chances. Indy has relied on the running game to balance the offense as they are 11th in the National Football League with 121.4 rushing yards per game. However, with Zack Moss in the backfield, they should be fine as he has proven to be a lead back.
In the first four games of the year, Zack Moss averaged 22.3 rushing attempts per game and the team was 3-1 in those games, including wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. With Michael Pittman Jr, Alec Pierce, Isaiah McKenzie and Josh Downs out wide, this team can survive a few weeks without their superstar running back and be fine. Winning games going forward is going to be critical though as they hold the tiebreaker over Denver by conference winning percentage and Houston by head-to-head. They can ill-afford to lose games as it is a slog in the AFC Wild Card picture right now.
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