Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor dashed for 94 yards on 11 carries in the first half of Sunday's 38-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The star disappeared from the offense in the final two quarters, getting just one carry for 1 yard the rest of the way.
Head coach Shane Steichen dismissed the odd usage as a product of the Colts trailing by double digits in the second half.
"Sometimes the game, the flow of the game will kind of dictate how it's called there," Steichen said, . "You're down two scores in the fourth quarter. Could I have popped a run in there? Absolutely, but I decided to throw it there towards the end."
The Colts kicked a field goal to close the first half trailing, 21-20. They had two possessions in the third quarter in the one-point game. Taylor rushed for 1 yard on the first play of the third quarter, a drive that ended on a three-and-out following a penalty. Backup RB Zack Moss took the second drive. Indy trailed by two scores after a Saints TD early in the fourth quarter but pulled to within eight with 8:19 remaining in the game.
"Could there have been an opportunity for a run there?" Steichen said. "Yeah, absolutely. So, always self-evaluating everything, and we'll continue to do that."
Indy lost its third straight game since Anthony Richardson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. On Sunday, Gardner Minshew went 23-of-41 for 213 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The QB has at least one interception in all three of his starts in 2023.
Steichen didn't indicate that Taylor was on any sort of pitch count after missing the first four games of the season. In the past two contests, Taylor has looked more like himself, generating 170 rushing yards on 30 carries with a TD. But his disappearance from the offense in the second half Sunday was concerning, as the Colts leaned too heavily on the passing game.
The coach indicated that certain reads could have gotten Taylor the ball more, but with the Saints intent on stopping the run, they were pulled by Minshew.
"We have stuff that J.T. is tagged on, same thing with Moss," Steichen said. "We try to ride the hot hand. J.T. is a big-time playmaker, and he's continuing to improve every single week -- obviously, you saw there in the first half. We'll continue to evaluate those things going forward and making sure we have the guy that we want in at the right time."
