Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s status for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville is to be determined due to an oblique injury, while running back Jonathan Taylor was ruled out with a right ankle sprain, coach Shane Steichen said Friday.
Steichen also ruled out two other starters: defensive end Kwity Paye (quad) and cornerback Kenny Moore II (hip). Both will miss their second straight game. The availability of starting center Ryan Kelly (neck) is also to be determined. He did not play last week.
Richardson played just 13 snaps last week before leaving the game in the first quarter after taking a hit to his right oblique from Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at the end of a 14-yard run.
Joe Flacco replaced Richardson and threw two touchdowns in the Colts’ win. The 39-year-old took the majority of the first-team reps in practice this week, as the Colts look to end their nine-game road losing streak against the Jaguars.
Richardson completed 39 of his 77 passes (50.6 percent) for 654 yards and three touchdowns against six interceptions this season. He’s also registered 21 carries for 141 yards and one touchdown.
The Colts preached that game reps are paramount for Richardson’s development, though he has struggled to stay on the field. Richardson appeared in just four games as a rookie last year due to a concussion followed by a season-ending AC joint sprain, and he’s left four of his eight NFL starts overall due to injury. Asked about the people who’ve already labeled him as injury-prone, Richardson pushed back.
“I mean, it’s football, I’m pretty sure if they got out the house and came out here and got hit by somebody that’s running 20-plus miles per hour every week, I’m pretty sure they’ll be sore and dealing with injuries as well,” Richardson said Wednesday. “So, people gonna talk. That’s what people do. So, I’m not necessarily worried, but I’m just trying to focus on getting better day by day.”
As the Colts creep closer to a decision at quarterback, they already built a game plan that won’t include their star running back. Taylor suffered a right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Indianapolis’ home win over Pittsburgh last week. He was tackled by Steelers safety DeShon Elliott, and while being taken to the ground, Taylor’s right ankle appeared to twist underneath him. After the 1-yard gain, Taylor jogged off the field, and the TV broadcast showed him grimacing on the sideline. He did not return and missed roughly the last eight minutes of play.
Taylor was off to a strong start in 2024, averaging 87.3 rushing yards through the first four weeks. He also logged 4.8 yards per carry, two 100-yard rushing games and scored four rushing touchdowns.
Trey Sermon, a 2021 third-round pick, will likely replace Taylor in the starting lineup. Sermon has just nine carries for 24 yards (2.7 yards per carry) through the first four games, but the last time he filled in for Taylor and received extended snaps, he totaled 17 carries for 88 yards (5.2 yards per carry) in a Week 15 win against the Steelers last year.
Taylor was previously plagued by a right ankle sprain during the 2022 season, which caused him to miss six games. He ultimately underwent surgery in January 2023 and did not return to game action until Week 5 of the 2023 season.
Taylor said Thursday his latest right ankle sprain is not as severe, and Steichen said the team wasn’t considering putting Taylor on injured reserve “as of now.” Taylor did not miss a game due to injury through his first two seasons (one absence in 2020 because of COVID-19), but over the last three years, he’s now missed 14 games due to injury.
Taylor, the 2021 league rushing champ, is in the first year of a three-year, $42 million extension he inked in October 2023. The 25-year-old is the third-highest paid running back in the NFL based off annual salary, trailing only San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey and New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara.
Taylor ranks third in Colts history with 4,921 rushing yards through his first 57 games. He already ranks sixth overall in rushing yards in franchise history, trailing Edgerrin James, Lydell Mitchell, Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson and Lenny Moore, respectively. James, Faulk, Dickerson and Moore are all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
