Indianapolis’ 27-17 win over New England on Saturday night was gigantic, fantastic and thunderous. The Colts’ defense was stifling, as Darius Leonard and Co. spooked Patriots rookie Mac Jones early. But obviously, the story was Jonathan Taylor. Again.
The second-year pro is a legit MVP candidate in a wide-open race. At 5-foot-10 and 226 pounds, Taylor is the ultimate blend of power and speed. There are so many nuggets to express his immense value to the Colts, but my favorite is quite simple: Indy is 8-0 when Taylor hits 100 yards rushing, 0-6 when he doesn’t. Of course, the first three of those losses occurred in the first three weeks of the season. In the nine contests since, Taylor has averaged 122.5 rushing yards per game, scored 19 total touchdowns and carried the Colts to an 8-3 record. On Saturday night, he ran wild on Bill Belichick’s defense, racking up 170 yards on 29 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown sprint late to seal the deal. That extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one TD run to 11, one short of the NFL record shared by Hall of Famers John Riggins and LaDainian Tomlinson.
The Colts are peaking at the right time, with five wins in their last six games — and the only loss was a 38-31 barnburner to the defending champion Buccaneers. Indianapolis is squarely in the playoff picture and feels like a team that can make a run in January.
