Colts aren't out of woods yet despite positive injury updates on Jonathan Taylor, Anthony Richardson

Week 4 initially felt like a massive loss for the Indianapolis Colts despite narrowly edging out the then-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. Their dynamic backfield duo consisting of quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor each left the contest with injuries. But recent intel from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero suggests fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Per Pelissero, Indy's offense "dodged two injury bullets."

Richardson is "day-to-day" and "has a shot" to suit up for the Colts Week 5 clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's dealing with oblique and abdominal strains, but the issues seem minor. Meanwhile, Taylor suffered a high-ankle sprain that's considered "mild." By the sound of it, there's a chance neither play misses much time (if any).

Colts get relatively good injury news on Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor ahead of Week 5

While Richardson's situation is rather straightforward, Taylor's is quite tricky. Despite downplaying the matter, the latter has dealt with multiple ankle ailments throughout his career. Notably, the one-time All-Pro tailback hurt the same surgically repaired joint that limited him to 11 games in 2022.

Given Taylor's history of right ankle problems, the Colts aren't entirely out of the woods yet. On Monday, head coach Shane Steichen told reporters that Indianapolis isn't pondering placing their star rusher on injured reserve. That can typically be seen as a good thing. But even mentioning the idea indicates the ex-Wisconsin Badger may not be ready to go versus Jacksonville.

Before going down in the fourth quarter, Taylor amassed 108 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 24 touches. As usual, he operated as the focal point of the Colts' offensive attack, playing a sizeable role in their upset victory over the Steelers. 2021 third-round pick Trey Sermon replaced him, though his five carries yielded an uninspirin eight yards.

Richardson exited Indy's 27-24 defeat of the Steelers in the first quarter. He attempted to return shortly after. However, his first play back on the field was a designed quarterback run, which led to him taking a trip to the locker room and getting ruled out for the remainder of the game. Ultimately, it was Steichen's baffling decision to put his franchise signal-caller in harm's way. Luckily, backup Joe Flacco filled in admirably and helped the Colts prevail.

With the 0-4 Jags on tap, could the Colts err cautiously with one or both of their standout offensive weapons?