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Colts' Jonathan Taylor Speaks on 'Awesome' Redemption Game vs. Titans

A week after the biggest mistake of his career, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor reminded everyone of his game-breaking talent.

Andrew Moore

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes for a touchdown during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes for a touchdown during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Grace Hollars/USA Today Network via Imagn Images
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It was only a week ago that Jonathan Taylor was in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

After dropping the ball short of the goal line against the Denver Broncos in the biggest blunder of his career, the Indianapolis Colts running back felt personally responsible for the loss. Holding back tears, Taylor vowed after the game that a mistake like that would never happen again.

The loss to the Broncos put the Colts' playoff hopes on life support. All Taylor wanted to do was get back on the field and redeem himself by helping his team capture a win against the Tennessee Titans. And redemption was had.

Taylor ran like a man possessed on Sunday. The former All-Pro rushed for a season-high 218 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts took down their divisional foes 38-30, keeping them in the playoff hunt for another week. It was a performance that reminded the football world of Taylor's incredible talent.

“Phenomenal. I don’t think he could have responded any better," Shane Steichen gushed about Taylor. "He was phenomenal all day.”

Taylor's big day included two touchdowns of 65-plus yards as the running back continued to display his home-run ability. The first came with 7:25 remaining in the second quarter, with the Colts and Titans tied at seven. Taylor ran through a hole on the left side of the line made by Drew Ogletree, Ryan Kelly, and Quenton Nelson. Once through the hole, Taylor made Amani Hooker miss, and it was off to the races.

"You get excited – sometimes maybe a little too excited," Taylor admitted. "But, when you see that you get excited, and then you kind of just start analyzing, ‘Okay, where are the defenders? How much room do I have on the sideline?’ ... Then once it gets to a certain point, it's like, ‘Okay, it's just a foot race, I have to get in there.’”

As Taylor broke away and approached the end zone, all eyes were on the football. Everyone wanted to see the ball cross the goal line before celebrating the touchdown. Taylor put both arms around the football as he crossed the goal line and ran with the ball all the way into the tunnel. There was no doubt this one was a touchdown.

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Taylor was mobbed by his teammates in the end zone and on the sideline after the play. While the outside world was coming at Taylor from all directions, his teammates stuck by his side. Their support meant everything.

“Yeah, that was awesome," Taylor remarked. "Tyler Goodson came up to me, tried to snatch the ball out of my hand. But that's the type of teammates that we have. That's the type of guys we have in the locker room. They understand the type of person I am, the type of player I am, and just know that I always try to do things the right way. I'm always trying to be a leader. I always try to put the team first. So, it's awesome."

Taylor racked up 119 yards and the touchdown in the first half alone, and he was not finished. The Colts got the ball to start the second half, leading 24-7. One play is all it took as Taylor ran between a hole on the left side set up by Bernhard Raimann and a pulling Matt Goncalves for a 70-yard touchdown.

Taylor would add 29 more yards and another touchdown the rest of the way to help seal the victory. His 218 yards on the ground, combined with the rushing yards of Anthony Richardson (70), Trey Sermon (25), and Tyler Goodson (22), set a new Colts' franchise record for rushing yards in a game with a whopping 335.

The domination on the ground was a testament to the ball carriers, but also the offensive line that paved the way for Indy's big day. Taylor was quick to give credit to the entire unit after the game.

"Shout out to the guys up front," Taylor said. "I mean, they do a ton of the heavy lifting week in and week out. So, you always have to show love to the guys up front.”

While the offensive line created the holes, Taylor's ability to finish runs and make defenders miss was what turned solid gains into big touchdowns. And it was Steichen sticking with his star running back and riding the hot hand that kept pressure on the Titans' defense. The Colts had 50 rushing attempts – 29 by Taylor – compared to 11 pass attempts on the afternoon.

“It shows the level of trust that he has," Taylor stated about Steichen. "But that comes from the week of practice. And then of course ultimately that comes from executing in the game. But the week of practice, executing in the game and him knowing, like, ‘Okay, these guys have put the work in. I see that they're executing at a high level. We're going to roll with it.’”

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) celebrates with his teammates in a white jersey.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) celebrates with his teammates after rushing for a touchdown during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Grace Hollars/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

The way Taylor redeemed himself against the Titans is why the Colts never lost faith in him. The blunder against the Broncos was no more than a flukey mistake at a terrible time. Taylor has proven time and again throughout his career that he will show up when his team needs him the most.

With the Colts facing a must-win on Sunday, a vintage Taylor performance was in order. He put the team on his back and put forth his best game of the entire season. If you ask his teammates, it was only a matter of time before Taylor erupted.

"I know (Taylor's) been looking to have one of these types of games all year," Richardson mentioned. "I know our o-line has been looking to be able to help him out like that. But just seeing it happening isn’t surprising, because like, man, that guy is really good. So, I'm glad we were able to make the happen for him.”

While the win moves the Colts to 7-8, they still need plenty of help to make the postseason. The only thing they can control is winning the rest of their games. Sure, Taylor was motivated to make up for last week. But the only thing that mattered was getting the victory and staying afloat for another week.

"We just needed to get the win," Taylor explained. "For me, like I said, something like that last week, that’s something that's not common for me. A mishap. Something that you know that’ll never happen again, but we just needed to get the win. We just have to keep that goal in sight. It's a chance, it's slim, but it's a chance.”

That slim chance is all Taylor and the Colts need to fight like hell the rest of the way.

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Andrew Moore
ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.

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