As the Indianapolis Colts attempted to make a fourth-quarter comeback against the Green Bay Packers last week, there was a prominent name that was not on the field.
Jonathan Taylor watched the fourth quarter from the sidelines as the Colts fell 16-10. It was not because Taylor was having a bad game, as he had rushed 12 times for 103 yards. Nor was Taylor injured during the game.
Head coach Shane Steichen explained the Colts were in a pass-heavy mode as they were trying to get back into the game, and the Colts wanted to get fellow running backs Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson some reps. The results were not great, as the lone run by Sermon on an option resulted in a loss of yardage and a missed field goal one play later.
Even if Taylor was not to be used much in the fourth quarter, it is fair to question if it was the right call for the Colts to keep their best offensive player on the sideline the entirety of the final period.
For Taylor's part, he has taken it in stride. While the questions have come Taylor's way, he has not publicly criticized or questioned the coaches' decisions. Instead, he is focusing on what he can do to improve and ensure he is on the field in those situations.
“Just continue to work every single day at practice," Taylor said this week. "At the end of the day, it's just all about getting a win. Whatever the coaches feel as though is the best opportunity for us to win – at the end, we had a chance. We’ve just got to seal it. We’ve got to execute it.”
Another likely reason Taylor was not on the field in the fourth quarter was his ability in pass protection. The Colts were not scheming up pass plays for the running backs, meaning pass protection was the premium assignment. Taylor has struggled in pass protection throughout his career and knows he needs to keep working on this area of his game.
“I think it's definitely grown," Taylor admitted about his pass protection. "You're still kind of continuing to get better. You've never arrived. So, you continue to do that. Like I said, you’ve got to do it every day at practice. Just because you do something one Sunday, good or bad, doesn't mean it's going to carry over to the next. So you’ve got to continue to do it every single week.”
What is not in question is Taylor's ability to run the football. After a lackluster performance in Week 1, Taylor looked like himself against the Packers. He was patient at the line of scrimmage, waiting for the offensive line to set up their blocks before hitting the hole for big gains.
Taylor had chunk runs of 29, 18, and 17 yards on Sunday behind a Colts offensive line that leads the league with a 77% run block win rate. When Taylor and the offensive line are in sync, it makes for a dangerous combination.
“I think we were able to create some run lanes, allow those guys upfront to work," Taylor remarked. "They did a great job. But also carrying it over, we’ve got to be able to continue to do this, this week at practice – to be able to have it carry over again next Sunday."
The Colts must lean on Taylor and the offensive line this week against the Chicago Bears. The Bears are 13th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed at 107.5 per game. A middle-of-the-pack run defense should present Taylor with opportunities to make plays.
Taylor is also quite familiar with the Bears' defensive scheme, as head coach Matt Eberflus spent four years in Indy (two with Taylor) as the defensive coordinator. Going up against Eberflus' defense every day in practice for two seasons is an advantage for Taylor. While Eberflus will undoubtedly add some wrinkles, Taylor feels confident in how he can attack the defense.
"It benefits us – like we kind of know his tendencies in certain situations, down and distance," Taylor explained. "Of course, like you said he can change things up, but we kind of have a feel for what he likes to do, when he likes to do it. So, it kind of gives us a sense of anticipation – allows us to play that much faster."
Leaning on Taylor will also help take pressure off of Anthony Richardson. The Colts have relied on Richardson's arm to dig them out of early holes, putting a lot on the plate of the young quarterback.
That strategy has led to inconsistency on the offensive side of the ball. If the Colts can get Taylor going early and have a balanced offensive attack, Richardson can get into a rhythm, and the offense will have sustained success.
Taylor and the Colts are facing a must-win on Sunday. The running back is not focused on his playing time from last week but on what they must do to beat the Bears. Coming out of a 0-2 hole is hard enough. Recovering from 0-3 would signal a season beginning to spiral.
Indy understands the importance of the task at hand. Richardson and Taylor have expressed their eagerness to return to the field at Lucas Oil Stadium to redeem themselves from last week. But the only path to redemption will be securing the victory on Sunday.
"Any time you’ve got an opportunity to get back on the right track at your home stadium, that's always a huge plus," Taylor stated. "But we’ve got to make it happen. We’ve got to make it happen this week.”
