In his first game back from injury, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor made an immediate impact in his return.
Taylor had missed the previous three games with a high ankle sprain that he suffered in the Colts’ Week 4 matchup against Pittsburgh.
Prior to that injury, Taylor was one of the most productive ball carriers in football, ranked top-five in rushing yards and was one of the best at generating big plays.
Sunday against Houston, Taylor picked up right where he left off.
On 20 carries in this contest, Taylor totaled 105 rushing yards at 5.3 yards per attempt with a touchdown. He also had a 12-yard reception as well.
Even with 20 carries in this game for Taylor, there was the opportunity for more. The Colts’ usage of the run game was sporadic at times, putting more pressure on the passing game, particularly when facing long down-and-distance situations.
When the offense was beginning to find a rhythm was in the third quarter when there was a good run-pass balance along with Anthony Richardson being mixed into the run game as well.
Overall, it was tough sledding for the Indianapolis offense because of the issues in the passing game.
While success for this unit begins by being able to move the ball on the ground, in today’s NFL it’s also a tough way to make a living for an offense when the run game is the only avenue for moving the ball–which was largely the case for Indianapolis on Sunday.