For Jonathan Taylor, it’s thumbs down in Week 13.
If the Indianapolis Colts are to maintain their current wild-card playoff position, it will have to be thumbs up for Zack Moss, starting with Sunday’s game against the host Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn.
Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champion whose last two years have been interrupted by injuries and contract standoffs, underwent thumb surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles. He’s expected to miss two or three games but isn’t likely to land on injured reserve.
Taylor is coming off a 91-yard, two-touchdown performance in last week’s 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that stretched Indianapolis’ winning streak to three games. At 6-5, the Colts presently occupy the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC.
Part of the reason they do was the early-season play of Moss, who has rushed for a team-high 672 yards and five touchdowns on 141 carries – all career highs. His best game came in a 23-16 win against Tennessee on Oct. 8 as after gashing the Titans for 165 yards and two scores on 23 attempts.
Indianapolis offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter isn’t worried about a dropoff in production with Taylor on the shelf again.
“Zack’s been a good player in this league for a while,” Cooter said. “Zack’s done a really nice job with the ball in his hands, in protection, some of the route-running things, catching the ball out of the backfield. Zack’s shown this year he can do a lot of different things. He’s somebody we depend on, rely on.”
Moss’ contributions have been integral in the team surviving a wave of injuries that’s cost them Taylor twice as well as rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. It’s also helped that veteran Gardner Minshew has filled in decently for Richardson, throwing for 1,972 yards with eight touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Tennessee (4-7) remains mathematically alive for a wild-card spot but probably needs to win out and hope for plenty of help. The Titans were able to snap a three-game skid last week, edging Carolina 17-10 as Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns.
Tennessee also has endured upheaval at quarterback. Unlike the Colts, they have gone from a veteran to a rookie, installing Will Levis five games ago. Despite a shaky offensive line and a lack of reliable options at receiver aside from veteran DeAndre Hopkins, Levis has displayed a strong arm and enough poise to give the organization hope that it has found a long-term solution under center.
Levis landed on the injury report this week with an ankle problem and was limited in practice last week but didn’t miss game action. He was 18 of 28 for 185 yards last week, spraying his completions among eight different receivers.
The Titans are playing back-to-back home games for the first time this year. They are 4-0 at Nissan Stadium but haven’t beaten a winning team yet.
“We got to focus on this week,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said. “We got to focus on health here, recovery, improvement, you know, these little details. These techniques that I know we can be better at.”
Joining Taylor in failing to participate in practice on Wednesday were cornerback JuJu Brents (quad) and wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (toe).
Tennessee saw wide receiver Treylon Burks (concussion), linebacker Luke Gifford (shin) and guard Daniel Brunskill (knee) join Levis in being limited in practice on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
