Can Jonathan Taylor Topple Single-Season Scrimmage Yards Record?

Among the NFL records to potentially fall in 2022, Bleacher Report thinks the Colts' Jonathan Taylor could break the single-season scrimmage yards record.

If you've spent any time watching Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor with the football in his hands, you might come away wondering if there's anything the guy can't do.

What about compiling more yards in a season than anyone ever has?

According to Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox, Taylor might just do that and break the single-season scrimmage yards record in 2022.

Current Record: 2,509 (Chris Johnson, 2009)

While we probably won't see the rushing touchdowns record broken in 2022, backs like Indianapolis Colts star Taylor could still chase history.

Chris Johnson set the single-season record for scrimmage yards back in 2009 and remains the only player in league history to top 2,500 scrimmage yards in a season.

Others have come close, though, including Taylor. Last year, the Colts' bell-cow tallied 2,171 scrimmage yards during a breakout campaign. He'll need to average 20 more yards per game and stay healthy for 17 games to break Johnson's record, but that could happen.

The arrival of quarterback Matt Ryan in Indy could help boost Taylor's passing numbers while preventing defenses from keying in quite as much on the run. Ryan might be 37 years old, but he's a more reliable passer than what the Colts got from Carson Wentz last season.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was even closer to the record in 2019, racking up 2,392 scrimmage yards during his breakout season. If McCaffrey can get and stay healthy, he might push for the record, too.

The same could be said of Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry as well. Henry had 937 rushing yards and 154 receiving yards in eight games last season before suffering a foot fracture. That would be 2,318 scrimmage yards prorated over a 17-game season.

Other top-tier dual-threat backs like Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara could enter the mix as well, though it's worth noting that Taylor was the only player in the league to top 2,000 scrimmage yards this past season.

To break former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson's record of 2,509 yards, Taylor would need to average 147.65 yards per game. He had a career year in 2021 where he led the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,171), averaging 127.71 per game. Can he average a whole 20 yards more?

In short, it's unlikely. Because of the arrival of new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, the Colts may not need to rely on Taylor as much as they did previously, and Taylor was already incredible at his best in 2021 with heavy usage.

However, there is an argument for Taylor to break the record.

Ryan is much more friendly to running backs in the passing game than his predecessor Carson Wentz. While Nyheim Hines is likely the biggest beneficiary of this, the opportunity to give Taylor the ball out in space should come up more often, leading to larger gains in yardage.

It's a tough record to break in the first place and Taylor may not be needed as much, but given his immense talent and likely boost in receiving, can he reach the NFL's single-season scrimmage yards record?

Can Taylor break the single-season scrimmage yards record? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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