Jonathan Taylor's sensational 2021 season has been followed by a rocky 2022 campaign. Injuries have hampered the reigning NFL rushing champion's season to this point, as an ankle injury will sideline Taylor for the Colts' upcoming game against the Patriots. Per head coach Frank Reich, there are no plans to put Taylor on injured reserve.
Sunday will mark the third game this season Taylor has had to miss due to an injury. Ironically, the Colts are 2-0 in games Taylor has missed. They defeated the Broncos in overtime in Week 5 before winning a shootout over Jacksonville in Week 6.
Despite Taylor's return, the Colts dropped their past two games while falling to 3-4-1 on the season. During that span, Indianapolis made the shocking decision to bench Matt Ryan in favor of Sam Ehlinger, who threw for 201 yards while completing nearly 74% of his passes in last week's one-point loss to the Commanders.
Taylor played well in both games while handling a limited workload. He rushed for 58 yards on 10 carries while catching seven passes for 27 yards in the Colts' Week 7 loss to the Titans. He had 76 yards on 16 carries in last week's loss to Washington.
A former second-round pick, Taylor has 462 yards and a touchdown on 107 carries this season. After a solid rookie campaign that saw him help the Colts make the playoffs, Taylor enjoyed a prolific sophomore season that saw him led the NFL with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The Colts recently made a change at running bak after trading Nyheim Hines to Buffalo before the deadline. In return, the Colts acquired Zack Moss, a third-year running back who had just 17 carries in five games this season with Buffalo. The Colts' second-leading rusher this season is Deon Jackson, who has rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Jones and Co. will face a Patriots defense that is just 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and 23rd in average yards-per-carry allowed. New England is 4-4 after edging the Jets at home in Week 8.
