Jonathan Taylor injury: What happened to the Colts´ star running back?
The Indianapolis Colts ran to a 20-point lead, but Jonathan Taylor's injury was one of the negatives from the first quarter. He initially went out injured and was questionable to return. It was later confirmed that he was going to be out for the game.
The #Colts declare RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) out for the game.
It was the worst possible news for the Colts because they needed that run threat that he brought. Despite having jumped to a 23-point lead at the start of the second quarter, every team would prefer to have Jonathan Taylor in rather than out.
To give credit to the Colts offense, Matt Ryan has stepped up, ensuring that every single drive leads to a score. In fact, Jonathan Taylor's understudy Deon Jackson caught one pass for a touchdown.
🟣🟡Matt Ryan with the swing to Deon Jackson!!!
The Colts, wow!!! 17 points in the 1Q!!!
🔵⚪️ 🟣🟡
#INDvsMIN #ForTheShoe #SKOL
https://t.co/8xzuPxPKCC
Jonathan Taylor's injury woes this year
The worry for the Indianapolis Colts is not this game, though. They should be more worried about what comes long term because they are doing well in this game without Taylor anyhow. But a running back injuring their ankle is a worry for both the player and the team. This is especially worrying because he had an ankle injury earlier this season as well.
From @GMFB: A look at how #Colts RB Jonathan Taylor and #Rams WR Cooper Kupp — both with ankle injuries — are progressing. https://t.co/O6Y29MhEAl
Earlier this season, he missed a significant chunk of games because he injured his ankle. It was a sprain that refused to heal, and he had to stay off the field for three games.
It was initially not supposed to be as serious, but it kept aggravating. Now, he has injured his ankle again. It might not bode well for the Colts if he misses the end of the season.
Running backs have notoriously short lifespans in the NFL, and it is now starting to become a worry for the Colts. If we look at a rough timeline based on his initial injury, we could have Taylor out of the league for the remaining games. That would be a highly disappointing outcome for Indianapolis because not having his threat would diminish their offense this season.
In the long term, that would mean that maybe the Colts would have to look towards drafting other running backs and reducing the amount of snaps they give to Taylor. They need to protect him so that they can get the best output from him and that is a significant potential consideration for the Indianapolis front office, going forward.
This injury not only affects this game but could turn out to be one of those innocuous events that could lead to a much bigger impact in the coming days.