INDIANAPOLIS -- The enduring memory of Jonathan Taylor's 2023 season might ultimately be the games he has missed, rather than those in which he has played.
The Indianapolis Colts' star running back spent the first four weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list. Now, he's been out of the lineup after undergoing thumb surgery on Nov. 29.
And his value has never been more obvious.
Sunday's epic struggles in the running game in a 34-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was a continuation of the previous week's underperformance against the Tennessee Titans -- a game that coincided with the start of Taylor's current absence. It's the latest indication of just how valuable Taylor is to the Colts' offense and the contrast in results when he's not on the field.
Indianapolis has averaged a healthy 4.4 yards per carry in the seven games Taylor has played this season. But that figure plummets to 3.6 yards per attempt when Taylor has not played.
It can be easy to oversimplify rushing numbers by ignoring the impact of quarterback play, the offensive line's performance and defensive strategies. But it's also true that great players like Taylor -- an All-Pro in 2021 -- can transcend the issues around them.
And there were numerous issues on Sunday, including a sloppy day from the offensive line.
"Obviously, [Taylor] is a heck of a player," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said Monday. "We'll be excited when the time is right for him to come back. But it was a group effort [on Sunday]. We would like to perform better than that in the run game, and for the most part, we really have this year. [Sunday] just wasn't our best day."
The Colts have mustered 2.5 yards per attempt without Taylor in their past two games. It's a small sample size, but that ranks 30th in the NFL during Weeks 13-14. Coach Shane Steichen stopped short of sounding an alarm despite the concerning numbers.
"I don't know if it's a trend," he said. "Sometimes you have two weeks where it doesn't happen. The next week you might pop for 200 [yards]. So, I don't have a great answer for you."
If that is to happen, it will likely have to occur without Taylor. He was initially projected by owner Jim Irsay to miss two to three weeks, but that timeline is believed to be very optimistic. The team has not given an indication of whether Taylor's return is on the table for this week.
The Colts' Week 15 meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday would be the third game he's missed with the current injury. Whatever happens, the Colts (7-6) are attempting to stay alive in the playoff race while hoping to get Taylor back for the stretch run and the postseason.
Taylor's backup, Zack Moss, had surprising success at times this season. But he hasn't been able to duplicate those successes of late. Interestingly, Moss' career day in Week 5 came against the Titans, with Moss rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns in Taylor's season debut. But against that same Tennessee defense in Week 13, Moss averaged 2.7 yards per attempt with 51 yards on 19 rushes.
As for Sunday in Cincinnati, the Bengals dominated up front. Playing from behind for a majority of the game wasn't exactly conducive to a good day running the ball, nor was the season-high nine penalties a reflection of how the Colts have played of late.
"Every time we got something, we ended up kind of shooting ourselves in the foot," said Moss, who had a 10-yard touchdown run nullified by a holding call in the fourth quarter.
Taylor has long proved he can find running lanes where few exist, achieving success on days when the blocking is solid or when it is poor. That's why the Colts elected to sign Taylor to a $42 million contract extension to resolve a bitter contract standoff earlier this season, rather than face the prospect of parting ways with a special player.
For now, though, the Colts' challenge is finding ways to help Moss fill the void while Taylor heals up.
"I think we've got to be better in the trenches, because Zack's obviously a great runner for us and it wasn't our day yesterday," Steichen said. "We've got to get it cleaned up."