Jonathan Taylor Continues Historic Year in Colts' Defeat of Chargers

The Indianapolis Colts moved to 6-1 on Sunday following a definitive 38-24 victory over the now 4-3 Los Angeles Chargers in a game where Colts running back Jonathan Taylor reached the endzone three times. The hat trick was Taylor's third of the season, passing Edgerrin James for the most games with 3+ rushing touchdowns in a season in franchise history.

Taylor's performance consisted of 132 total yards from scrimmage, including 94 yards on the ground, which helped him retain his title as the league's leading rusher. His 697 total rushing yards on the season are 105 more than that of second place, Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams. That's nearly an 18% difference.

Jonathan Taylor has 11 TD this season

No other player has scored more than 7 pic.twitter.com/XPHxXqQeS7
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 19, 2025

The sixth-year halfback currently leads the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns while being one attempt short of leading the league in carries.

This season could mark the second time in Taylor's career that he would lead the league in all three categories, having achieved the feat in 2021. In doing so, he would join Hall of Famer Jim Brown (1958-59, 1965) as the only players in NFL history to earn multiple outright triple crown titles.

The Colts are getting remarkable output from Taylor; however, the team isn't leaning on him like they have previously under Shane Steichen. In the 14 games Taylor played in last season, he hit 20+ carries in 10 of them. The Colts were 0-4 in games where Taylor didn't hit 20 carries.

It seems that trend has been flipped on its head this year, as Taylor has only exceeded 20 carries twice in seven games. Opposing defenses fear the Colts' passing game for the first time with Steichen as play caller, and the byproduct is the best offense in football.

Through seven weeks, the Colts are the most efficient offense by points per drive this century pic.twitter.com/4oyLckuShS
— Anthony Dabbundo (@AnthonyDabbundo) October 20, 2025

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While known league-wide for his breakaway speed and his explosiveness as a downfield runner, Taylor has taken significant strides both as a pass catcher as well as a pass blocker. He's posting the best pass blocking grade of his career this season, notching an above-average grade (75.9) through seven weeks per Pro Football Focus.

Taylor had never exceeded a grade of 58 in pass protection prior to this season. Even when rushing for over 1,800 yards in 2021, he posted a grade of 31.2. Through seven games, he's been on the field for 216 pass plays, more than the entirety of the 2023 season. He's on pace for 525 snaps on pass plays, demolishing his previous high of 385 in 2021.

It was incredible.

It's a perfectly timed block where the near foot is down and it's harder to stay balanced in that position. https://t.co/c4xsIaEdCE pic.twitter.com/uop3aa4Cmm
— Colts Film Room (@ColtsFilmRoom) October 20, 2025

Taylor’s development in pass protection has eliminated a key tell in Indy’s offensive intentions, being able to keep him on the field in both run and pass situations. As Taylor sees more snaps on passing downs, his production as a pass catcher has increased as a result.

The franchise halfback's 40 receptions for 360 yards in the 2021 season remain the best totals he's hit as a pass catcher; however, Taylor has already hauled in 23 receptions for 185 yards in just seven weeks this year. He's on pace for nearly 450 receiving yards on 56 catches in 2025.

Johnathan Taylor would be the leading MVP candidate if this were the early 2000s. Sadly it’s a QB award now so only OPOY is in play but man does he look good. pic.twitter.com/TkDmev1ra1
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 19, 2025

Sitting at better odds to win Offensive Player of the Year than Christian McCaffrey (+500), Jaxson Smith-Njigba (+650), Bijan Robinson (+700), and Puka Nakua (+1000), Taylor (+100) continues to break out in a Colts offense that continues to show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. His evolution into the most complete he's ever been as a player has been crucial to the entire offense's consistency.

Taylor needs four rushing touchdowns to surpass Hall of Famer Edgerrin James's total of 64, the most in Colts franchise history. The catch is, Taylor has played in 22 fewer games. Voters may or may not award the Colts' workhorse with the hardware in February, but nothing can dispute the Canton-esque legacy Taylor continues to cement.

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