INDIANAPOLIS -- Zack Moss took a handoff and squeezed through a hole off the right edge, making his way into the open field and dashing ahead for 41 yards.
The Indianapolis Colts' sideline erupted, with fellow running back Jonathan Taylor shadowing Moss by running alongside him from his spectator's vantage point a few feet away.
Moss embraced the usual congratulations after the play, the requisite backslaps and high fives. But a couple teammates threw in a little something extra:
They playfully mocked Moss.
"Man, they were saying I was slow," Moss recalled later.
Receiver Isaiah McKenzie admitted to making the claim.
"I told him, 'Yeah, I saw you break that run, but the difference between you and [Taylor] is I could basically walk alongside you [on the sideline],'" McKenzie said. "It's like I was just walking regular."
Moss took no offense to the whole thing. Why should he when he ranked second in the NFL with 589 rushing yards entering Week 9?
More than anything, the whole scenario underscored the notable differences between Moss and Taylor. But while they are dissimilar when viewed as individuals, they have combined for a collective force that gives the Colts one of the top rushing units in the NFL.
Indianapolis ranks ninth with 129 rushing yards per game, despite Taylor -- a 2021 All-Pro selection -- not joining the lineup until Week 5. The past two games, the Colts have averaged a league-best 166 rushing yards. Now, the duo on Sunday looks to take the next step against a vulnerable Carolina Panthers defense (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS) that ranks 28th in rushing yards per attempt (4.7).
"They're very different," McKenzie said of Moss and Taylor. "Zack is more ground and pound. J.T. is a home-run hitter. But Zach's making big runs, too. They're both doing a great job."
While Taylor and Moss have shared the same backfield since Moss was sent to the Colts at last season's trade deadline, the reality is the pair had rarely played together much until recent weeks.
Taylor dominated the ball when he was healthy enough to play last season. It wasn't until Taylor landed on injured reserve in December with an ankle injury that Moss got any substantive playing time. Then, with Taylor on the physically unable to perform list and fighting over a contract extension earlier this season, Moss again took centerstage.
Now, the two are working as a true tandem.
They just do it in their own ways.
"He's way faster than me," Moss said of Taylor. "And can run between tackles too. So, I think we have two different types of skill sets. He's doing his thing, then I get a chance to do my thing and finish off the defense, it's not the same guy doing the exact same thing."
That, Moss said, creates challenges for defenses, because the two backs must be defended in different manners.
Taylor's explosive, one-cut style makes him a threat to score with every touch. That commands the attention of defenses from the jump.
"When he sees the hole," coach Shane Steichen said, "it's that explosive breakaway speed."
Moss, on the other hand, is a methodical runner who displays rare patience as he waits for blocks to set up in front him, using his vision to sniff out potential creases.
"He's really crafty," Steichen said.
Said Moss: "I think that's just something that I've worked on to some degree. It's a feel."
But the combined efforts of the backs extends beyond their respective on-field contributions, Taylor said. They are learning how their individual approaches can specifically attack defenses and are serving as another pair of eyes for each other.
"It's like 'How are they playing you? How are the backers? Is it similar to what we've seen on film? Is it not?' Or vice versa," Taylor said. "If I'm in there and a run hits, he's like, 'Hey, what run is that? What is the defense looking like? Did they overplay it? Did they slow play it?' So now we're communicating back and forth how we're able to utilize our different talents.
The one potential mitigating factor in all of this is Steichen's play selection. He faced questions after Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints after abandoning the run in the second half. This came after Taylor rushed for 94 yards in the first half. He got just one carry the rest of the way. Moss had slightly more usage, with five rushing attempts in the second half.
"Could I have popped a run in there?" Steichen said the next day. "Absolutely. But I decided to throw it there towards the end."
The ability to lean on the run game is particularly relevant given starting quarterback Anthony Richardson's season-ending injury. Gardner Minshew will be the Colts' starter the rest of the way.
But if the Colts' running game keeps producing at this level, look for him to hand off to the speedy Taylor or the patient Moss.