Indianapolis Colts newbie running back Jonathan Taylor had a career game on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while running 253 yards in 30 runs (average 8.4 ypc.) and 2 running touchdowns – including a long 56 yard run on his big afternoon:
Its 253 running yards overtook the Hall of Famer Edgerrin James (219) in a single game in the history of the Colts franchise and is now tied for 9th place in NFL history among all running backs.
Taylor is the youngest running back of all time to run for over 250 yards.
As for the season numbers, Taylor’s total of 1,169 running yards was the third largest among all running backs in 2020, as he trailed only the Tennessee Titans Derrick Henry (2,027) and Minnesota Vikings Dalvin Cook (1,557) among all league leaders.
Therefore, Taylor also led all newbies in running yards – while averaging 5.03 yards per load.
He also had 11 run touchdowns to go along with his 1,169 run yards.
The impressive newbie joins only James and Hall of Fame colleague Marshall Faulk as the only rookie running backs in the history of the Colts franchise to run for more than 1,000 yards and more than 10 touchdowns—That is an elite company to say the least.
Taylor must be at the forefront of running back for any ‘All NFL Rookie-Team Honors’ and deserves great consideration for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award (although the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin herbert and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson fierce competition there).
Offensively, Taylor simply carried the Colts on Sunday, and he had the game’s decisive touchdown from about 45 meters away in the final minutes of the fourth period.
The Colts will need another dominant performance by Taylor next weekend in the playoffs against Buffalo Bills – especially with the cold weather conditions in January against his former AFC East opponent, to avoid any potential turnaround in the first round.
No matter the outcome, however, the ‘bestial’ future of the football novice is extremely bright:
Jonathan Taylor = Top 5 back next year.
– Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 4, 2021
Although he may not have finished yet this season.