Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was relegated to the sideline after suffering an ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Heading into a short week — the Colts next play the Denver Broncos on the road on Thursday night — the reigning NFL rushing king's immediate status, he told reporters after Sunday's game, remains unknown.
"I'm not sure. What time is it? It's like an hour after the game — I'm not sure yet," Taylor said. "But we'll see how things happen tomorrow morning."
Taylor and the Colts faced off against a stingy Titans defense from the start of Sunday's game. With Tennessee jumping out to a significant early lead — it led by as many as 21 points, 24-3, after an eight-yard Ryan Tannehill touchdown pass with 7:40 left in the second quarter — Indianapolis just couldn't get any sort of offensive momentum going.
Accordingly, Taylor, who has a career 5.1 yards-per-carry average through his first two-plus NFL seasons, was limited to just 19 first-half rushing yards on 11 carries (1.7 avg).
But the Colts started chipping away from there, thanks to two touchdown receptions by tight end Mo Alie-Cox, to get within seven points, 24-17, by about midway through the third quarter. The Indy defense stayed hot, too, and the Colts' offense responded again by putting together a potential game-tying drive in the fourth quarter.
Getting as far as the Tennessee 24-yard line, however, Indianapolis faced a 3rd-and-1 with just less than nine minutes remaining in the game. Quarterback Matt Ryan handed off to Taylor, who barreled forward off the right side of the line to get the yard needed to move the chains. However, before he could finish the play, Taylor was rolled up in the pile and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Titans at their own 22-yard line.
Taylor, who limped off under his own power and was eventually labeled questionable to return, said he was going to have to watch the game film to determine exactly what happened — both with the injury and the fumble.
"Things just happen so fast on the field. It's crazy," he said. "It gets hectic in the trenches."
Taylor, with his ankle wrapped and his helmet on, watched from the sideline for the remainder of the game. The Colts' defense forced another punt on Tennessee's next possession, but their offense, despite getting as close as the Titans 22-yard line yet again, was unable to get any more points on the board.
Taylor said after the game his ankle was "feeling good," but he "just wasn't able to get back in there and finish it."
Depending on Taylor's status during the short week, the Colts could turn to veteran Nyheim Hines to take on a larger role at running back against the Broncos. Other options include Deon Jackson, who is on the 53-man roster, and practice squad running backs Phillip Lindsay and D'vonte Price.
