Jonathan Taylor ruled out of TNF game

The Indianapolis Colts have officially ruled their star running back Jonathan Taylor out of the game in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. This Thursday Night Football matchup will not feature one of the game’s best runners.

After giving up 212 yards rushing to the Las Vegas Raiders, most of which to Josh Jacobs who piled up 144 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, this news should be a huge relief for fans anxious about the surprising amount of holes Denver’s run defense shows just three days ago.

The next man up for the Colts should be Nyheim Hines. He’s mostly a pass catching type running back out who has 17 receptions for 113 yards in four games so far. He only has 11 yards on 8 carries as a runner. However, the Broncos’ defense shouldn’t sleep on Hines. Instead, they should go watch tape from last year from their game against the Cleveland Browns. In that game, D’Ernest Johnson got the start and proceeded to gash the Broncos’ defense for 146 yards an a touchdown.

Another thing we might see in this game is the return of Phillip Lindsay. He is likely to be called up from the Colts’ practice squad to play against his former team. While his production has dropped significantly from his time in Denver, from 4.8 yards per carry to just 2.8 yards per carry, you would have to believe we’d see peak Lindsay when he comes to face his former team.