For a while, it looked like we’d never see the 2021 Associated Press First-Team All-Pro version of Jonathan Taylor again. But Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, along with the first two weeks of the season, confirm he’s not only himself again, but he’s a top five running back in the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts’ matchup against the Titans featured a dominant performance from the Colts' offense as they put up 41 points on the road. Quarterback Daniel Jones played well yet again, but the story of the game was Taylor. Taylor rushed for 102 yards for the second consecutive week and found the end zone three times in the blowout win.
This was a reminder and a warning to the rest of the league of what he’s capable of when he’s healthy and motivated.
In 2021, Taylor was widely regarded as the best running back in the league. He led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards, just over 550 more yards than the second-place runner, Nick Chubb, and racked up 18 touchdowns, which was seven more than he’s had in any other season. His dominance earned him a nomination for the NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year award, and it was thought that he’d continue to be a force in the coming years.
That thought was short lived, however, when Taylor suffered multiple ankle injuries in 2022 and only played 11 games, rushing for 861 yards, nearly 1,000 less than he did the year before. In 2023, he dealt with the injury bug yet again and only played 10 games — which was cause for major concern that he’d deal with this for the rest of his career.
Then, in 2024 he experienced a resurgence. Although he missed three games, he put up 1,431 rushing yards to go along with 11 touchdowns. The consensus around the league and with fans was that Taylor was back, but to not get too excited due to his injury history.
That was until 2025. Through three weeks, Taylor leads the league in rushing yards and has scored three touchdowns, all coming from today’s game. He’s had back-to-back weeks with more than 100 yards on the ground. With the way Taylor’s playing so far, he’s on pace to finish the season with 1,916 rushing yards — even more than he had in his best season.
Running backs are a very important position in the way football is played today, and there are a lot of elite backs. A widely recognized top running back in the league is the Philadelphia Eagles’ back Saquon Barkley, who amassed 2,000 rushing yards in 2024 and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. Other than Barkley, only Baltimore Ravens’ back Derrick Henry and Atlanta Falcons’ back Bijan Robinson are the only names in most top 5 conversations. The rest of the field is wide open, and Taylor is cementing himself in that conversation.
The Colts’ offense has been a machine thus far and at the heart of it is Taylor, who’s given defenses something to fear. If he’s able to stay healthy and Indianapolis continues to dominate, the Colts won’t just continue to win, but Taylor will force his way back into the conversation as the best running back in the NFL.
