INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor made a lightning-quick bounce minimize by way of the outlet and noticed nothing however daylight forward.
Once the Indianapolis Colts operating again reached the objective line, some 65 yards later, his run was nonetheless not full. Taylor stored going, operating into the tunnel that results in the Colts’ locker room within the southwest nook of Lucas Oil Stadium. It was Taylor’s means of sending a message: This time, he would maintain on to the soccer after arriving on the finish zone — one thing he didn’t do per week in the past.
Taylor reached the top zone two extra instances Sunday, together with a 70-yard scoring run, throughout his 218-yard efficiency within the Colts’ historic 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans. Indianapolis’ offense dominated the road of scrimmage, speeding for a franchise-record 335 yards in a victory that stored the crew’s faint playoff hopes alive. The Colts surpassed the earlier excessive established in 1956, practically three a long time earlier than the franchise left Baltimore for the Midwest in 1984.
It was Taylor’s second profession 200-yard efficiency behind solely his career-high 253-yard sport within the remaining week of the 2020 season. His most up-to-date efficiency got here on the heels of final Sunday’s sport through which Taylor dedicated a pricey miscue, dropping the ball prematurely as he crossed the objective line on a would-be 41-yard run that would’ve given Indianapolis a two-touchdown lead.
The Colts went on to lose the essential matchup, dealing a extreme blow to their playoff hopes. Taylor did not make the error once more this week.
“I had already predetermined in my thoughts that subsequent time, I’m going all the best way within the tunnel,” Taylor mentioned Sunday.
In reality, Taylor approached the entire scenario with levity. He and backup operating again Tyler Goodson deliberate a bit forward of the sport. After Taylor emerged from the tunnel, Goodson ran as much as him and playfully tried to strip the ball, with Taylor preserving a decent grip.
“Just trolling, making the group chuckle just a little bit,” Goodson mentioned.
In actuality, there was nothing humorous about the best way the Colts pushed across the Titans. Tennessee allowed probably the most speeding yards of any crew this season and the second most in Titans/Oilers franchise historical past. The Colts made no pretense about their intentions, both, at one level operating on 12 consecutive performs throughout three possessions within the second quarter.
“That’s sort of the thrilling half,” Taylor mentioned “It’s sort of if you begin imposing your will, establishing that line of scrimmage. Those are the varieties of soccer video games as a operating again … you’re keen on.”
Tight finish Mo Alie-Cox added: “By the top of the sport … we have been nonetheless getting 5 yards a pop. They nonetheless could not actually cease it. They have been calling it, however they could not do nothing about it.”
Then, Alie-Cox relayed a narrative that unfolded earlier than a specific play.
“It’s hilarious,” he mentioned. “One time, they have been like, ‘It’s a display. Boom.’ And then one in all their [defensive] ends was like, ‘Man, they’re about to present it to Jonathan Taylor. He’s about to run for 300 [yards] on us.’ Once he mentioned that, I used to be like, ‘Yeah, we obtained him.'”
In mild of the speeding success, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t requested to do a lot from the pocket. He accomplished simply 7 of 11 passes for 131 yards. But Richardson was part of the speeding bonanza, operating for a career-high 70 yards.
Now, the Colts hope to complete with wins over the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars of their remaining two video games, together with hoping quite a few different dominoes fall their means of their bid to make the postseason.
