Colts’ Jonathan Taylor Ready to Move Off Broncos Blunder vs. Titans

After a horrific mistake last week, Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor wants to bounce back versus Tennessee.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) carries the ball in the first half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

What transpired last weekend for Indianapolis Colts' running back Jonathan Taylor was arguably the worst moment of his career.

By now, everyone in the football world knows about Taylor's boneheaded mistake of dropping the football at the half-yard line on what would have been a 41-yard touchdown to put the Colts up 20-7 over the Denver Broncos. Instead, the ball went through the back of the end zone for the touchback, sucking all of the momentum away from the Colts. The team could never recover.

Taylor was incredibly remorseful and apologetic after the game, but the mistake was one of the main catalysts for the Colts falling to 6-8 and putting their playoff hopes on life support. When asked if he had yet to process the play, Taylor had a simple answer.

“I mean, the same thing as any bad play on Sunday," Taylor said. "You’ve got to be able to move on to the next.”

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

While it may seem like Taylor is brushing off the play with that answer, it is actually the correct response. He cannot change what happened against the Broncos a week ago. What's done is done.

By allowing the play to be his sole focus throughout the week, Taylor is not doing his job to help the team this week. The play was certainly a learning experience for the running back, one he vows will never happen again. But Taylor's focus is now on the Tennessee Titans.

“Of course, something like that will linger a little bit longer," Taylor admitted. "Of course, you’ve got to go through the film, and then that'll relive it. Then after that, you’ve kind of got to take those corrections and then move on to the next week.”

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What the play has done for Taylor is bring about even more motivation to play well over the final three games of the season. For the Colts to even have a shot at making the playoffs, they have to win out. They cannot afford to drop any more games the rest of the way.

For the Colts to be at their best, Taylor must be at his. The Colts' offense is much more dynamic when Taylor gets going on the ground. It keeps opposing defenses on their toes, and they cannot simply tee off on quarterback Anthony Richardson.

If Taylor can get rolling, the Colts will likely be the favorite in every game the rest of the season.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) hands off to running back Jonathan Taylor (28) in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

“It's still things out there for us," Taylor remarked. "There are some teams that, for the past couple weeks, have not had things to play for. So, I think that's the biggest thing and the biggest message that we understand and that we're feeling right now, is that there's still things out there for us."

And that starts with getting a win against the Titans. Taylor missed the Colts' first matchup with the Titans earlier in the season due to injury. Indy only rushed for 80 yards on 2.8 yards per carry in the 20-17 win.

The Titans rank 12th in the NFL against the run, allowing 115.2 yards per game. They also rank 13th in defensive rush efficiency, signaling they have one of the better run defenses in the league. It will be up to Taylor and the Colts' offensive line, a unit getting Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly back from injury, to rise to the challenge.

Taylor's mistake against the Broncos was the low point of his career. But now is not the time to dwell on the past. Taylor is focused on doing whatever he can to finish the season on a high note and help the Colts capture as many victories as possible.

"We’ve got to continue to go out there. We’ve got to continue to play hard. We’ve got to continue to go and try and win games.”

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