Colts Notebook: Jonathan Taylor, DeForest Buckner Return To Practice.
INDIANAPOLIS – Are the Colts getting (arguably) their two best players back for one of the biggest games of the season?
Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and DeForest Buckner (ankle) are returning to practice this week, with real hope they can play Sunday in Houston.
What did we learn at the Colts first practice of the Week 8?
It’s possible the Colts get their 2 best players back this week. Jonathan Taylor has missed the last 3 games due to that right ankle sprain and last practiced on September 27th. While Taylor plays a position that teams can rotate pretty frequently, how much practice time he needs to feel fully confident about making his return to game action remains a mystery. Is one week of work enough for some return after missing nearly a month? When asked on Wednesday if the Colts will get Taylor/Buckner back for game action in Week 8, Shane Steichen said this: “We will see how the week goes, but feel really good about it.”
We are not used to seeing DeForest Buckner miss any game time, let alone 5 weeks, but that’s been the case after that ugly looking ankle injury form Week 2. Buckner’s last practice was September 14th so, like Taylor, questions on if 1 week of practice will be enough to play Sunday. Yes, the Colts can also rotate quite a bit at defensive tackle, similarly to running back. By allowing Buckner to return to practice, the Colts have opened up a 21-day window for him, to practice and he’s also eligible to return to game action at any point, too. By the end of the 21-day window, the Colts have to bring Buckner onto the 53-man roster or leave him on IR for the rest of the season, which is a very unlikely result. So a corresponding roster move will be needed at some point. If practice goes well, Buckner in a limited/third-down role would seem to make sense for C.J. Stroud.
We are not used to seeing DeForest Buckner miss any game time, let alone 5 weeks, but that’s been the case after that ugly looking ankle injury form Week 2. Buckner’s last practice was September 14th so, like Taylor, questions on if 1 week of practice will be enough to play Sunday. Yes, the Colts can also rotate quite a bit at defensive tackle, similarly to running back. By allowing Buckner to return to practice, the Colts have opened up a 21-day window for him, to practice and he’s also eligible to return to game action at any point, too. By the end of the 21-day window, the Colts have to bring Buckner onto the 53-man roster or leave him on IR for the rest of the season, which is a very unlikely result. So a corresponding roster move will be needed at some point. If practice goes well, Buckner in a limited/third-down role would seem to make sense for C.J. Stroud.
This week of Colts football doesn’t have an Anthony Richardson injury storyline. That’s great news. But it is a chance for Richardson to experience something he has yet to do much in his NFL career. That’s playing on the road. Of the 405 snaps Richardson has played in his 9-game NFL career, only 74 of them have come on the road (2 games played on the road). And this marks the first time he’s ever seen the same team/defensive scheme twice in a season. In fact, this is the 3rd time he’s seen DeMeco Ryans and the Texans. This is all part of the vital time on task Richardson needs as the Colts try to develop him and get a clearer picture on what they have in their young quarterback.
7 games into the NFL season and the Colts have played 7 one-possession games. They are 1 of 4 teams to have done that so far. The Colts are 4-3 and the other 3 teams are a combined 4-17 (Raiders: 2-5, Patriots: 1-6, Browns 1-6). Why are the Colts sitting at 4-3, compared to the other teams? Well, Shane Steichen points to the Colts being the least penalized team in the NFL as a major reason why the close games haven’t gone the other way.
From a record standpoint, the Colts are entering their toughest stretch of the season. In the next 5 weeks, they’ll play the at Texans (5-2), at Vikings (5-1), (Bills (5-2), at Jets (2-5) and Lions (5-1). And if you take a gander at current MVP odds in the NFL as we approach the mid-way point of the season, you’ll find 4 quarterbacks in the top-8 of the odds list upcoming, too: Bills-Josh Allen (3rd), Lions-Jared Goff (4th), C.J. Stroud (7th), Sam Darnold (8th). The Colts are adamant they have yet to play their best football this season: “It wasn’t the prettiest thing last week,” was what Shane Steichen said on Wednesday in describing the win over the Dolphins. They will certainly need an uptick in their level as the competition rises in the coming weeks.
