INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jonathan Taylor has grown accustomed to playing football as the rumor mill spins.
This week, he has heard his named linked to multiple teams, heard about “done deals” and heard some question whether it's wise to even play Sunday when the struggling Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys meet — two days before this season's trade deadline.
So Taylor has learned how to laugh it off. All he wants to do is give the fans something to cheer.
“It's kind of dragged on for a while now, so at this point, it's just noise,” Taylor said Thursday about the chatter. “It's been like three or four or however many weeks, so at this point, it becomes regular scheduled programming.”
It wasn't supposed to be this way after the seven-year veteran who has never played for another team signed a two-year contract extension worth $44 million to stay with the Colts in August.
Even then, this week's featured matchup was supposed to be about the brother bash: Indy's veteran receiver Josh Downs and Cowboys rookie safety Caleb Downs. But with both teams reeling, the older brother requesting a trade and the younger brother in the concussion protocol and dealing with a bad ankle, their dream story may have to wait.
That puts the spotlight on Taylor, the franchise's No. 2 career rusher in what could be his final game playing in the Colts — though it's not something he has contemplated.
“We've got an opportunity, especially this week — especially after last week — to come back and put a better product on the field,” he said, referring to the embarrassing 42-7 loss to Jacksonville. “That's my biggest goal. Last week was tough. You know you never want to go and put that on display."
He just wants to give fans something to cheer about. Indy has (2-6) lost four straight and 13 of 15 and the last time they were home, the boobirds were out in force.
Dallas (3-5) hasn't played much better lately. It has the league's worst run defense and has lost three of four after blowing a lead and losing 33-30 in overtime at Arizona last week. So coach Brian Schottenheimer would like nothing better than to ruin Indy's homecoming — even if it Taylor's last stand.
“There are certainly a lot of things we as a football team can do better," he said, noting the Cowboys' rushing disparity from Week 7 to Week 8. “I didn’t think we did a great job tackling. And then there’s certainly things that I can do better in all facets, No. 1 being find a way to finish the game and give us a chance.”
Dalals (3-5) at Indianapolis (2-6)
When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.
Latest odds: Cowboys by 5½.
Against the spread: Cowboys 4-4; Colts 4-4.
Last week: Cowboys lost to Cardinals 33-30 in OT; Colts lost to Jaguars 42-7.
Last meeting: Cowboys beat Colts 54-19 on Dec. 4, 2022, in Dallas.
Series record: Cowboys lead 11-6.
Cowboys pass defense vs. Colts QB Daniel Jones. With the uncertainty around Taylor after a season-low eight carries last week, the more determinative matchup may be the turnover-prone Jones against a team ranked in the bottom five in takeaways (six). Jones has lost four fumbles, thrown nine interceptions and has at least one INT in seven games this year.
— The Colts and Cowboys faced each another three times before the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, then met again in Super Bowl 5, a 16-13 Colts victory when the team was still in Baltimore.
— Dallas has only one win outside Texas this season. It came at Philadelphia in Week 6.
— WR CeeDee Lamb is one of three players entering Week 9 with 60 catches and he became the first player in franchise history to reach that mark in eight games or fewer.
— QB Dak Prescott has thrown at least one TD pass in every game this season, a personal best streak to start a season.
— Indy is playing at home for the first time since general manager Chris Ballard was fired and Pro Bowlers Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner were traded.
— WR Keenan Allen needs four catches to pass Tim Brown for No. 8 on the NFL's career list. Brown had 1,094 during during his Hall of Fame career. Allen has 29 catches in his last five games.
— Taylor ranks eighth in the NFL in yards rushing (610) and is tied for third with eight TD runs.
— Indy is tied for last in the league in takeaways (four) and has the worst turnover margin at minus-11.
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