INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor wiped away sweat as he approached the media scrum Thursday at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

The Indianapolis Colts running back said he was taking a break from rehabbing his injured ankle in a continuing quest to return to the practice field.

Taylor suffered a high-ankle sprain during the fourth quarter of a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 29 and hasn’t practiced since.

He missed the last two games and is in danger of missing a third consecutive outing after sitting out the first two practices this week.

“(W)e’ve been progressing every single day,” Taylor said. “Just pushing myself, just trying to find a way to get the pain out. Anything you can do, anything you do to get back on the field with your guys you’ve been working, scratching and clawing with all offseason, all training camp and all season. So just doing everything in my power to get back on that field.”

His absence has been felt.

The Colts (3-3) have averaged just 3.7 yards per carry over the past two weeks and failed to reach the 100-yard rushing mark in either contest.

Veteran Joe Flacco has completed 65.7% of his passes for 716 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception in two starts and one relief appearance in place of starting quarterback Anthony Richardson.

But the offense has been far too one-dimensional the past two weeks.

Indianapolis managed to post season highs with 447 yards and 34 points in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 6, but much of that production came during a frantic rally in the final quarter.

The offense slogged through a 20-17 win against the Tennessee Titans last week, producing a season-low 269 yards but surviving after a pair of touchdown passes by Flacco.

Trey Sermon, the primary ball carrier in Taylor’s absence, has a pair of rushing touchdowns this season but is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry.

Sunday’s opponent, the Miami Dolphins, has struggled to stop the run — ranking 23rd in the 32-team NFL with an average of 4.7 yards allowed per carry.

“I think you always want to have the threat of both running and passing the ball,” Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “When you lose one of those threats or one of those threats is diminished, defenses really can squeeze down that other side of the thing and make it a little bit tougher. So you want to have the threat of doing both.

“We went up against a really good opponent last week who did a good job sort of making our life a little bit tougher in the run game than we would like. We’re going to keep plugging at that thing. We’ve had some really good gainers in there, just maybe looking for a little more consistency with how we operate.”

That could include an expanded role for Tyler Goodson, whose 33-yard run against the Titans was the longest for the Colts this season.

Goodson is averaging 5.9 yards on just 13 rushing attempts and could see an increased workload with Taylor and Sermon (knee) carrying injuries this week.

There also is some hope Richardson’s expected return to the lineup will increase the rushing potential.

The 22-year-old quarterback is averaging 6.7 yards on 21 carries, but for the second straight year injuries have denied the Colts an extended look at the potentially explosive combo of Richardson and Taylor in the backfield.

“Some may say it’s frustration, but I like to see it all as part of the process,” Richardson said of the lack of reps for the dynamic duo. “It’s all part of the plan. So, God willing, if we are out there together, I know we’re going to dominate. So we’re just trying to see when that time is coming. We know it’s going to come soon, so we’re not worried about it too much.”

INJURY REPORT

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) and right tackle Braden Smith (knee) returned to full practice Thursday, joining Richardson in that category.

Wide receiver Josh Downs (toe), center Ryan Kelly (calf), defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (hamstring), linebacker E.J. Speed (knee) and Sermon participated on a limited basis.

Wide receiver Alec Pierce was added to the report with a shoulder injury and did not practice. Cornerback Chris Lammons (ankle) and Taylor also did not participate.

Offensive tackle Kendall Lamm (elbow) was added to the report for Miami and was limited Thursday.

Safety Jevon Holland (hand), linebacker Mohamed Kamara (ankle), linebacker David Long (knee), defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (biceps) and safety Jordan Poyer (shin) also were limited.

Running back Devon Achane (concussion), cornerback Cam Smith (hamstring) and quarterback Skylar Thompson (ribs) were full participants for the second straight day.