Indianapolis Colts RB Tyler Goodson needs more opportunities against the Dolphins

As of Friday morning, it doesn’t look like the Indianapolis Colts will have running back Jonathan Taylor against the Miami Dolphins this week.

Taylor is still battling a high ankle sprain and has not returned to the practice field as of Thursday.

This means the Colts will once again rely on running backs Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson to replace Taylor.

Although the backup running back battle was considered one of the bigger competitions of the summer, it never came to fruition as Sermon took on that role early on and never really gave it up.

So it’s no surprise that Sermon has seen more snaps and opportunities than Goodson in the last two games without Taylor.

Against Jacksonville and Tennessee, Sermon played 83 snaps and had 31 carries, while Goodson played 56 snaps with 14 carries in the run game.

However, the production of the two was quite different. And while we have to note the difference in sample size, Goodson has provided a lot more juice as a ball carrier, averaging 5.8 yards per rush on his attempts compared to Sermon’s 2.7 yards per rush.

An inconsistent running game often has a negative trickle-down effect on the passing game. Not only is there a greater burden on the passing game when the ground game is difficult, but in general the offense finds itself behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations, giving the defense the advantage.

Watching this week’s game against Miami, success on the ground is always important for the reasons just mentioned, but this week it will be an absolute must. The Dolphins will enter Sunday’s game as one of the better pass defenses in football, but if there’s one area where they’ve been vulnerable, it’s been in the running game at times.

Whether it’s Sermon or Goodson in the backfield, Anthony Richardson at center should provide a boost to Indianapolis’ running game. Because of Richardson’s ability as a ball carrier, the defense will have to defend the Colts’ running game differently and won’t be able to be nearly as aggressive.

More opportunities for Goodson doesn’t mean Sermon won’t play a role – both defenders will be important to the Colts’ success with Taylor out – and it may not even mean Goodson takes the majority of the snaps.

However, the workload difference between the two needs to narrow and get closer to a 50:50 split.