Despite being plagued by injury troubles in the early stages of the NFL campaign, the Indianapolis Colts own a 3-3 record. They will again take the field significantly shorthanded for their Week 7 home matchup versus the Miami Dolphins, as star running back Jonathan Taylor is being ruled out for the third week in a row with a high-ankle sprain, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Lucas Oil Stadium will witness a key return, however. Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson is cleared to play on Sunday after missing the last two games with an oblique injury. While the 2023 top-five draft pick has struggled for much of the time he has spent on the field this season, a meeting with the depleted Dolphins could be the confidence booster he needs.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen must figure out how to protect Richardson while also allowing him to weaken Miami's defense with his dazzling mobility. Walking that line has yet to produce genuinely favorable results to this point, but Indy has little choice other than to hope he is a franchise QB.
Still, fans would feel significantly more comfortable with Richardson under center if Taylor was running out of the backfield.
Can the Colts continue to stay afloat without Jonathan Taylor?
The 2021 All-Pro and rushing leader is brutally watching another season of his get ravaged by an ankle injury. He finally appeared to be regaining his past explosiveness in September, gaining 4.8 yards per carry and scoring four rushing touchdowns in the Colts' first four games. Taylor may be forced to claw his way back to top form once again, though.
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Since backup running back Trey Sermon is questionable for the Dolphins game, 23-year-old Tyler Goodson could be assigned big responsibilities on Sunday afternoon (eight rushes for 51 yards in Week 6 win versus Tennessee Titans). Anthony Richardson may have to shoulder the bulk of the offensive workload and utilize his promising crop of wide receivers more frequently than he has thus far in his career.
For the Colts' sake, hopefully the unpredictable prospect benefited from recovering on the sidelines and learning from veteran gunslinger Joe Flacco. Indianapolis and Miami face off at 1 p.m. ET. Given the injuries burdening both teams, it is best to temper expectations for this AFC skirmish.
