Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and it appears his 2022 season is over.
With just three games remaining and the Colts all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, there’s no viable reason for Taylor to finish out the season.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Taylor is still going in for more tests, but it’s “highly unlikely” he returns for the final three games.
#Colts star RB Jonathan Taylor was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain sustained in Saturday’s game against the #Vikings, sources say. He’s still meeting with doctors, but it’s considered highly unlikely that he’ll play again this season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 19, 2022
Taylor has been battling a nagging ankle injury all season. It has been a frustrating campaign for the league’s reigning champion as he’s tried to stay on the field.
He first suffered the injury late in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, forcing him to miss the following two games. He returned in Week 7 for two more games and then was inactive due to an ankle injury in Week 9.
Taylor returned in Week 10, averaging 114.5 total yards per game over the next four games leading into the Week 14 bye. He then suffered the injury Saturday against the Vikings when he was rolled up on while getting tackled.
It’s the wise move to rest Taylor. Playing him in these final three games would be meaningless and may only worst their chances at a better draft pick in 2023, which should be the main focus right now.
We’ll see how the Colts handle this situation, but the prudent move would be to shut Taylor down for the remaining three games while Deon Jackson and Zack Moss share the backfield reps.
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