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Jonathan Taylor Carries Colts to Victory Over Bears: Film

Indianapolis Colts' running back Jonathan Taylor looked like his vintage self against the Chicago Bears.

Zach Hicks

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes for a touchdown Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, during a game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes for a touchdown Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, during a game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Indianapolis Colts secured their first win of the season this past Sunday, defeating the Chicago Bears 21-16. It was a dreadful day for the Colts' passing offense but, luckily, their star running back was able to carry the team to victory on his back.

Jonathan Taylor had himself another strong performance on Sunday, rushing 23 times for 110 yards and two scores on the ground while also adding a nifty 25 yard reception on a screen pass in the third quarter. His 29 yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter gave the Colts' an early seven point lead while his final tally of the day was the put away score in the fourth.

Taylor has been off to a fantastic start to this season, as his 5.1 yards per carry are his best mark since his record-breaking 2021 campaign. He currently leads an offense that is among the most explosive rushing attacks in the game, and Taylor has already racked up eight rushes over 10 yards this season.

Taylor appears to be back to his once-dominant form, which means big things could be on the horizon for the Colts once their passing game finds a rhythm.

Making Defenders Look Silly

Taylor's biggest highlight of the day came on his 29 yard touchdown run in the second quarter. His vision and his athleticism rivals Barry Sanders on this play or, rather, Taylor's ability to make opposing defenders look silly rivals the Detroit Lion's Hall of Fame back.

Take a peak at Bears' defensive end DeMarcus Walker (#95) on this play. Taylor's jump cut back to the outside makes Walker look foolish as he struggles to locate the star rusher on the play. In a more serious breakdown of the run, this inside zone call is beautifully blocked by the offensive line with massive blocks downfield by Mo Alie-Cox, Quenton Nelson, and Alec Pierce.

This play is a fantastic example of elite blocking and elite rushing creating an explosive play.

The Patience of Le'Veon Bell

Taylor has always been a fantastic running back in the NFL, but his biggest area of growth as a player has been his patience over the years. The game moves in slow motion for him, and he is able to patiently wait out blocks and find escape lanes better than anyone in the league. His patience is at a point where even the great Le'Veon Bell would be impressed with it.

This explosive run (shown below) is a direct result of Taylor's patience and his vision. Center Ryan Kelly is held up at the point of attack by Chicago's nose guard, so Taylor contemplates if the best course of action is cutting this stretch run back inside. He begins to move that way, realizes that lane may not be his best exit point, and then calmly jumps back to the outside for the wide open hole he created for himself.

Taylor's nimble feet and patient movement creates a massive crease up the sideline for the massive gain.

Doing the Little Things

The highlight runs and the explosives are massive, but the little plays in between are what truly wins football games. Taylor is the master of hidden yardage, and his ability to create space for himself in tight corners is truly underrated.

The Colts are running an RPO on third and short, and Taylor has to squeeze every yard he can out of this run with the linebacker crashing hard downhill. He glides through the hole and jumps around the unblocked defender just as Quenton Nelson is able to get a hand in the way to slow the backer down. Taylor bounces around Nelson with ease and makes a potential third down stuff look like a routine play for the first.

The Bottom Line

Jonathan Taylor is one of the premier players in this Colts' offense, and his impact in the run game was a major reason why the Colts won on Sunday. The offensive line deserves their flowers as well, but Taylor was as good as he's ever been against the Bears.

If Taylor continues this level of play going froward, it will only be a matter of time before this offense breaks through. Anthony Richardson will slowly learn to calm down as a passer and when he's able to add a more reliable pass offense to this dnagerous rushing attack, the league better watch out (at least for the Colts' offense, that is).

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Zach Hicks

ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

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