INDIANAPOLIS – There initially was good news regarding the high ankle sprain that has forced Jonathan Taylor to miss the past two games and threatens a third this weekend. Surgery was never considered an option. Whew! The Indianapolis Colts’ feature running back has been in rehab mode since suffering the injury to his right ankle – that’s the one which has given him problems over the past few seasons – in the fourth quarter of the week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. “The only good thing about it was when you don’t hear the word ‘surgery,’’’ Taylor said Thursday. “Like, ‘OK, we know this is fixable. We know we can come back better, stronger, faster.’’ The Colts chose not to place him on the injured reserve list, which would have given Taylor at least four games to rehab the ankle.  “I never like to throw that around,’’ he said, “especially after being on PUP last year. “That’s definitely not a place you want to be if you don’t have to be there.’’ It initially was reported Taylor might miss only a game or two with the injury. He knew better. “Once they said ‘high ankle’, I knew high ankles are usually four-to-six (weeks),’’ he said. “But me, attacking different rehabs and injuries, there’s no way. “So, I’ve got to do everything in my power to keep chopping that down.’’ The next tangible step would be returning to practice, and that’s not happened. Taylor didn’t practice the past two weeks and has missed Wednesday and Thursday. It’s entirely possible for a veteran to play without practicing, but would be rare when that player has missed three entire weeks of practice. The Colts entertain the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, and Taylor is eager to be involved as something more than a sideline motivator. “I’m getting super excited,’’ he said. “Just continuing to push forward. “We’ve been progressing every single day, just pushing myself, trying to find a way to get the pain out. Anything you (can) do to get on the field with your guys.’’ Taylor revealed he’s not only still dealing with some level of pain, but also with regaining his comfort in actually performing the movements his position requires. “The pain level has actually gone down,’’ he said. “That’s really the first thing because really you can’t even do the movements if the pain is really too high. “A lot of things you can definitely work through, but there is definitely a point where some things are like, ‘Can’t do it.’’’ Taylor has been the Colts’ lead back since being selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2020 draft. In 2021, he exceeded whatever expectations general manager Chris Ballard envisioned by rushing for a franchise-record and NFL-best 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns and leading the league with 2,171 total yards from scrimmage. But after missing only one game in his first two seasons – as a close-contact/ COVID individual as a rookie – Taylor has had two surgical procedures and missed 15 of 40 games the past three seasons. *six games in ’22, all related to his right ankle. After playing just two snaps at Minnesota in week 15, he was placed on the injured reserve list and underwent ankle surgery in late January in Los Angeles. *seven in ’23. He was on PUP and missed the first four games while completing his rehab from the surgery, a situation complicated by his demand for an extension. He received that in September: three years, $42 million with $19 million guaranteed. He then missed three games late in the year after undergoing surgery on his right thumb. *two this season, both because of the high sprain to his right ankle. “You understand the injury rate is 100%,’’ Taylor said. “There’s been a multitude of things, not only myself but plenty of guys have played through. “It just sucks now that you’ve had a little stint where it’s an actual injury where you couldn’t play through it and you’re like, ‘OK, my gosh. Why? What’s going on?’’’ It gets to the point Taylor questions how he handles his offseason training, even his daily work with the Colts during the preseason and season. “But you’ve got to remember it’s a contact sport,’’ he said. “A lot of things you just can’t prevent.’’ Not surprisingly, the productivity in the run game has dropped considerably without Taylor. With Taylor, the Colts have averaged 131.8 yards per game and 5.1 per attempt. He’s averaged 87.3 and 4.8, respectively, and had consecutive 100-yard games against the Packers and Bears. “He gives us the big play, home run in the run game with his explosiveness,’’ Shane Steichen said. “Just the vision that he has, setting up blocks and hitting them.’’ Without Taylor in the past two games, the numbers have fallen to 89.5 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry. Even with Tyler Goodson breaking off a 33-yard run at Tennessee, the Colts managed just 80 yards on 28 attempts. We’ll save you the trouble. Exclude Goodson’s career-long run, and Indy averaged 1.7 yards on the other 27 attempts. Twenty-seven of the 48 rushing attempts against the Jaguars and Titans – 56% - gained 3 yards or fewer; 14 were for no gain or a loss. Taylor believes he’d be a detriment if he returns before being capable of doing his job at the necessary level. “It’s like if you literally can’t do the movement,’’ he said, “then you’re better off not even being out there because now you’re a liability.’’ You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.