One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 NFL season has been the unexpected emergence of the Indianapolis Colts as a potential Playoff team in the AFC. The Colts will enter December with a 6-5 record despite being without their opening week starter, rookie QB Anthony Richardson, since the middle of October, and without a household name on the roster other than Jonathan Taylor, who has already missed nearly half of the season and will be on the shelf for multiple weeks due to a thumb injury that requires surgery. Fortunately for the Colts, they have a back on the roster who is accustomed to carrying the burden as a #1 ball carrier.
Zack Moss was selected 45 picks after Jonathan Taylor in the 2020 NFL Draft, but this year, Moss has been the more productive player in the Colts backfield. Thus far, Moss has rushed for 672 yards and five touchdowns on 141 carries. He's had two games of 100+ yards and five games with at least 18 carries. So it's no wonder that Moss is confident he can fill in for Taylor during his absence.
“I've already kind of done it before,” Zack Moss said, per JJ Stankevitz of Colts.com. “Now's the time to do it again. That's why you prepare every day — you never know what's going to happen in this league.”
From the sounds of it, the rest of the Colts roster and coaching staff is just as confident in Zack Moss as Moss is in himself.
“When he's, like, really playing, he's leading the league,” quarterback Gardner Minshew II said, likely referencing the fact that Moss was 2nd in the league in rushing yards when Week 6 had concluded. “One of the best in the league, can make guys miss, getting some really hard yards you wouldn't expect. Excited to get him rolling again.”
“The way he prepares every week is awesome,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “He's a great teammate, great in that running back room.”
The Colts will be on the road for back-to-back games against Tennessee and Cincinnati, but will likely be slight favorites in both contests. While all the talk in the AFC South has been about the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, don't be surprised if you look at the standings in two weeks and see the Colts at 8-5 and firmly in the mix for a Wild Card berth.
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