Jonathan Taylor Undoubtedly Belongs in MVP Conversations
- Vincent Mendoza
- Nov 18
- 3 min read
BY: VINCENT MENDOZA / CHIEF OF SPORTS
Jonathan Taylor (JT) led the Colts to a 31-25 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons, finishing with 32 carries for 244 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long 83-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The 26-year-old also tallied three receptions for 42 yards. This win improves them to an 8-2 record, further solidifying their lead atop the AFC and their southern division and his Most Valuable Player campaign.
This 286 scrimmage yard performance topped Marshall Fulk’s franchise record and places him within the top 25 in the single-game scrimmage yards list.
When comparing Taylor to the rest of the league, he sits atop the totem pole in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards per game, average yards per rush (to qualify, a player must have at least 6.25 attempts per team's games played), and the longest rush of the season – and it isn’t particularly close.
JT has accumulated over 200 rushing yards, four more touchdowns, and 17 more yards per game than his runner-ups in each category. In the receiving department, Taylor has reeled in the eighth most passes (30) and the fourth most yards (260) by a back this season, displaying versatility similar to what we saw in his initial two seasons in the NFL.
Shockingly – or maybe not – Week 10 was the second game of the 26-year-old's career with at least 200 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns – joining Derrick Henry, Adrian Peterson, and Jim Brown for the most such games in NFL history. Similarly, Taylor is the sixth running back in NFL history to amass at least 1,100 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in the first 10 games of the season, a feat reserved for the upper echelon of players at his position.
Taylor is on pace to finish with roughly 2,000 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns, paired with 51 receptions worth 442 yards and three receiving touchdowns, statistics adjacent to MVP recipients like Adrian Peterson in 2012 and LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.
However, the prime example many fans and media pundits have been referencing is Saquon Barkley’s 2024 campaign, ending the season with 2,005 rushing yards, 278 receiving yards, and 15 total touchdowns, averaging an astounding 125 yards per game in his 16 starts.
When running backs are seeing success at rates comparable to Taylor and Barkley, they’re usually supported by a good offensive line – and the Colts are no exception. Indianapolis possesses one of the best lines in the league, featuring established veterans such as three-time All left guard Pro Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith, both with the team since 2018.
In addition to having veteran talent, this team struck gold in their last two drafts, picking right guard Matt Goncalves and center Tanor Bortolina in the third and fourth rounds of the 2024 Draft, then tight end Tyler Warren with their first round pick in the 2025 Draft.
This unit has been elite all year, placing top 10 in pressure rate allowed, no blitz pressure rate, and yards before contact per running back rush. Nevertheless, Jonathan Taylor’s greatness is not to be chalked up to just having a great blocking unit.
Taylor has a unique skillset, possessing the strength of traditional powerbacks, but also the speed and elusiveness of newer running backs. The All-Pro back has racked up over 600 yards after contact, leading the league by a comfortable margin of almost 150 yards. Alongside this, Taylor refuses to let his opponents take him down, breaking 18 tackles on rushes, tied with James Cook III for the most by any running back.
On the first edition of Bleacher Report’s “The Handoff”, hosted by Broncos cornerback and 2024 AP Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II, he said, “Obviously, quarterbacks have [usually] won the award, justifiably so... but I think Jonathan Taylor is more than deserving of the award. I think he’s showcased what he’s able to do [in regards to] helping his team win week in and week out. You obviously see the stats… You don’t see that quite often.”
Taylor has had an all-time great season thus far, averaging video game-like numbers and putting on performances for the ages. As Surtain II and many others know and have stated, the NFL MVP is routinely awarded to quarterbacks, and rightfully so; however, Taylor's impact is similar to that of quarterbacks. Taylor undoubtedly belongs in MVP conversations, and if he continues to perform at the level he’s displayed in the first 10 weeks of the season, his 2025 campaign will be remembered for decades to come.