Raiders' Opponents Ranked: RBs, No. 1
In making back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time since 2000-02, the Las Vegas Raiders will navigate the NFL's fourth-hardest rated schedule, according to Pro Football Focus.
That will include facing some of the NFL's best running backs.
No running back was better during the 2021 season than Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts.
It wasn't necessarily out of nowhere, as Taylor was arguably already a top-10 back in the league after a great rookie season.
That was in 2020 when Taylor rushed for 1,169 yards, and 11 touchdowns and averaged five yards per carry. It was the most yards any rookie runner had that season and was the third-highest total in the NFL.
At the very least, Taylor showed that he has the ability to be one of the better backs in the NFL right away.
Last season showed, though, that he has the talent to be among the very best.
Taylor led the league with 332 carries for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns, all while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
He also improved his ability to make an impact as a receiver, too, with a career-high 40 catches for 360 yards and two touchdowns last season.
That gave him a league-leading 2,171 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns, fueling Taylors' first election to the Pro Bowl and a First-Team All-Pro selection.
With those numbers, combined with the down year Derrick Henry had last season, Taylor has a legitimate case as the best running back in football.
Taylor has played up to that level in two career games against the Raiders, averaging 20 carries for 129 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
Even with that, the Raiders were still able to pull out a pivotal win in Indy last season that was part of their late playoff push.
It will be the rubber match this season when the Colts and Raiders play in November, but Taylor will have some more help this time around.
With the Colts trading for former NFL MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, Taylor now has a quarterback with the potential to take on more of the load on offense.
It will just prove to make what was already going to be a significant challenge for the Raiders defense even harder in containing Taylor.
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