The Indianapolis Colts’ path to victory on Sunday over the Houston Texans likely contains a heavy dose of Jonathan Taylor as part of the game plan.
This, of course, isn’t any sort of groundbreaking announcement–Taylor is going to play a key role all season long. But when it comes to taking advantage of specific matchups, the Colts’ interior offensive line against the Texans’ interior defensive line is one they should be looking to exploit.
With Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly anchoring the middle, the Colts are returning all five starters from an offensive line unit in 2023 that ranked top 10 in both pressure rate and yards per carry.
I recently asked Cole Thompson of Texans Wire where a weak point in this Texans team might be, and he highlighted the interior defensive line and the linebacker depth as two question marks.
The last time these two teams met, Taylor totaled 188 rushing yards in Week 18, averaging over 6.0 yards per attempt. In his career against the Texans, which has spanned six games, Taylor has rushed for 811 yards at 5.96 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns.
So feeding Taylor certainly has the potential to produce big plays, but establishing and sticking to the run game can have a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of the offense as well.
Staying ahead of the sticks to set up manageable second and third down situations can open up the playbook for Shane Steichen, specifically opportunities in the passing game. On the flip side, early down struggles puts the offense in obvious passing situations where the defense now has the advantage.
The combination of Taylor and Anthony Richardson in the backfield can also stress defenses horizontally as they decipher who has the ball. This will not only open up running lanes, but is another avenue to help create passing game opportunities as well.
In addition to all of that, moving the ball on the ground often leads to sustained drives, controlling the time of possession, and keeping the Houston offense on the sidelines.
Again, nothing stated here is a new concept, but Taylor’s success in this game feels particularly important to the Colts coming away with the win.