The Colts are not thinking about the past and they're not thinking about the future.
They're not thinking about how they've lost three of their last four games, or how they have five (very important) regular season games left. They're not thinking about what's gone wrong or right this year.
They're not thinking about anything but what they have to do today as they prepare for their first of two remaining games against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"You can't look ahead, because then you might just miss the smallest detail," running back Jonathan Taylor said on Thursday. "And it could be on just one play. You may think, 'Well, if we go and win these next two then that'll put us in this situation,' and in that time span, while you're thinking about that, you might have just missed the key detail for this game coming up, and then it shows up on one snap – probably one of the most important snaps of the game. And because you were looking ahead, you missed it.
"So, the most important game, and the biggest game, is this one coming up because that's our only game coming up."
In the Colts' last three losses, Taylor was limited to a season-low 45 rushing yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 58 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs and 85 rushing yards against the Houston Texans. He also didn't score a touchdown in any of those three games.
Of course, in the middle of those games was Taylor's historic three-touchdown, 244-yard game against the Atlanta Falcons. And Taylor is still averaging a career-high 106.8 yards per game and leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,282), rushing touchdowns (15) and scrimmage touchdowns (17). But he, and the Colts run game, haven't succeeded in the same way lately that they were in the beginning of the season.
The Jaguars also pose a significant threat this weekend, as they have allowed just 82.4 yards per game this season (the fewest in the NFL) and seven total rushing touchdowns and have held opposing running backs to 3.8 yards per carry. In fact, no player has had more than 70 rushing yards in a game against the Jaguars this season.
The key to the Colts fixing their struggles and coming out on top of the Jaguars is simple, though: stick to their process. The first eight weeks of the season showed how dominant the Colts can be, and they know it's important to remain dedicated to that same process as well as their "alignments and assignments," as Taylor likes to put it.
"I think being able to have that same process allows you to control other variables to allow us to try and get better moving forward each day," Taylor said. "Just because the results didn't quite transpire how you want (them) to doesn't mean that your whole process is in shambles and you need to scrap the whole thing."
Taylor's process isn't just limited to what he does on the field or in the meeting rooms, either. It also includes his mental recovery, when he leans on his faith as a source of strength through the ups and the downs of the season.
"There are a lot of external things you can turn toward but just having that higher power and understanding that things are already written, that the Lord's with you every step of the way," he said. "And then you use things that are of this world to help you...I know what my process is, and I know this is a great process, we've had success with this process, so you have to stick to the process...truly that is what helps you manage the stress.
"So being able to make that in the offseason, going into training camp and understanding that this is what my process is going to be, if there needs to be minor tweaks that's what I will do. But through process and prayer, everything will take care of itself."
Thursday's practice report:
