The Indianapolis Colts (5-3) were beaten 24-10 at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) on Sunday, and it was made clear again that rookie running back Jonathan Taylor is on a short leash.
The second-round pick got the start on Sunday despite being benched in Week 8 against the Detroit Lions. It seemed Taylor was on his way to solid day with a strong first quarter, which included a goal-line touchdown.
But late in the first quarter, Taylor was running to the edge for 10 yards and the ball was punched out. The Ravens scooped it up and took the ball back to the house for a touchdown, evening the score at seven.
The game was far from over, but the impact the fumble had was tangible. The Colts offense was seemingly deflated after that. All of their momentum was drained on what should have been another scoring drive.
At that point in the game, Taylor had five carries for 26 rushing yards and a touchdown. He finished the game with just one more carry for one yard and was rarely seen on the field after the costly mistake.
It is becoming inherently clear that Taylor is on a short leash. His work was already limited the first half of the season due to the shortened offseason. But now, he isn’t seeing work because of a lack of production and costly turnovers.
The same situation happened in Week 8 against the Lions. Taylor couldn’t find a rhythm in the first half and essentially was benched in favor of Jordan Wilkins, who had a career day on the ground.
The Colts still have confidence in their second-round pick. Taylor is a talented running back still getting used to life in the NFL.
But more of a committee could likely be on the way with the recent struggles surrounding the rookie.
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