Shane Steichen provides an update on Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor's injuries

The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Sunday, but at a cost. The Colts lost two of their starters: quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor.

Richardson was injured in the first quarter after a hard hit and could be seen grabbing his hip. Backup quarterback Joe Flacco came in for two snaps and it appeared Richardson was OK when he got back on the field. However, head coach Shane Steichen called for a quarterback run play, which resulted in another hit on Richardson, this time helmet-to-helmet, and Richardson left the field again. This decision by Steichen was heavily criticized as he let Richardson walk when he had just been injured.

Taylor was injured in the fourth quarter and although he seemed eager to get back into the game, Steichen kept him off the field. Afterwards he seemed optimistic. “I feel pretty good,” Taylor told reporters. “We came out victorious, so I’m looking forward to attacking this week.”

Yesterday, Steichen provided scant updates on Richardson and Taylor, but indicated that there are currently no plans to place either one on the Colts' injured reserve and that both are undergoing testing. “I’m not doing that at the moment,” he said. “We’ll see how the week goes.”

Richardson is currently considered fit for action and Taylor has suffered a sprained ankle, which could potentially mean he is out for a few weeks. Tom Pelissero reported on X that Richardson has oblique and abdominal strains and has a good chance of playing on Sunday. And while Taylor may miss the Colts' game against the Jaguars, his ankle sprain is considered mild.

While Flacco was more than capable of leading the Colts to victory, the offense as a whole suffered without Richardson at the helm. Despite the inaccuracies that plagued him early in the season, Richardson played well on Sunday before his injury. “(Richardson) was on fire,” Steichen said. “He was on fire when he opened the game.”

The offense was less dynamic with Flacco than with Richardson. The running game has clearly suffered, and at 39, Flacco simply no longer has the arm strength to make the deep throws that Richardson is capable of. Flacco is a great quarterback and the Colts can still probably win with him leading the team, but without Richardson the offense will be limited to short-to-mid-range passes and a less dangerous running game.

The Colts will be in even more trouble if Taylor can't play. He's had a phenomenal season so far and is currently projected to reach nearly 1,500 rushing yards by the end of the year. Trey Sermon is capable, but he just doesn't compare to Taylor.

Admittedly, the Colts play the currently winless Jaguars on Sunday, so some could argue that this could be the best week for the Colts to lose their two star players on offense. But the Jaguars, even if they haven't won yet, could still be dangerous; They have been competitive in three of their four games so far and will be desperate to pick up a win and avoid a 5-0 defeat on Sunday. The Colts can't afford to get complacent, and having Richardson and Taylor healthy and ready to play will only increase their chances of winning.