Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has taken the league by storm halfway through his second season and many are already posing the question of whether he’s the best running back in the game.
Through 10 games, Taylor is currently tied for the league lead with 937 rushing yards. Excluding Derrick Henry (937), the next closest rusher on the list is Nick Chubb (721). Taylor is also third in the NFL with nine rushing touchdowns while his nine carries of 20 or more yards is a league-high.
Much of this has come over the last two months. Taylor has been on fire during the last seven games. Over that span, he’s recorded at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in each game. He’s only the fourth running back in NFL history to do so, along with Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) rushed for 116 yards and 1 TD in the @Colts’ win on Sunday.
Taylor is the just 4th player in @NFL history to record 100+ scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in 7⃣ consecutive games. No one has done it since @ProFootballHOF-er @LT_21 in 2006. #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/GsS6L63uKM
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) November 16, 2021
What’s so impressive about Taylor’s stretch that has vaulted him into the conversation as the league’s best back is the fact that he’s doing it all with a relatively limited workload.
Taylor has just 161 rushing attempts on the season (fourth in the NFL) and has seen 20 carries in a game just one time (Week 10). He’s currently tied with the aforementioned Henry for the rushing title but the latter has done gotten to that mark with 58 more carries.
With Henry expected to miss the rest of the regular season due to a foot injury, there’s nothing stopping Taylor from winning the league’s rushing title in just his second season.
Even when the passing offense fails, Taylor has proven he can be a productive back. Take Week 11 for example when Carson Wentz struggled against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Taylor still took 21 carries for 116 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Colts knew they got a stud when they traded up for Taylor in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft but even he’s exceeding expectations in Year 2. This isn’t a normal development, but it shows just how special Taylor is.
Right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture, the Colts will need to continue leaning on Taylor and his explosive plays in order to make a run down the stretch.
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