Overview

As football fans, Sundays during the months of September through January fall into two categories: days with football and really good days with football.

Today was a really good day with football for Colts fans.

I’m going to have a hard time choosing which plays to include but Jonathan Taylor will be featured heavily.

Enjoy!

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First Quarter

Jonathan Taylor started strong

The first drive really belonged to Jonathan Taylor. He’s started each of the last two games in dominant fashion.

Colts defense coming through

The Colts defense did a great job keeping Josh Allen uncomfortable with the coverages they called all day. Thanks to back to back penalties from the Bills they found themselves in a third and 18. The Colts defense dropped 8 defenders into coverage and waited for Allen to make a mistake and try to throw deep. He did just that and the Indy defense made him pay.

Just like that it was back to the JT show

It doesn’t really matter how you do it, just get it in his hands and let him do what he does.

The story of the day for the defense came from the trenches

Spencer Brown missed today’s game after being placed on the Covid list. As a result the Bills moved their right guard to right tackle and started Cody Ford at right guard. Center Mitch Morse was left as their best interior blocker and when the best guy you have keeps getting beat like this... well, good luck.

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Second Quarter

Grover Stewart had his way with Mitch Morse

I was going to try to make this article 100% Jonathan Taylor on offense but this play was too good to leave out

You might remember earlier in the season when a lot of Colts fans were saying things like “Philip Rivers would have (insert thing Carson Wentz didn’t do)”? well I can say with absolute confidence that Philip Rivers never would have done this. Not in a million years.

After a field goal the ensuing kick return was one of the best I’ve ever seen

If I were a Bills fan this would be one of the worst returns I would have ever seen so I guess it’s all about perspective.

The J-Train kept rolling

Taylor was rolling, the Bills offense couldn’t get or stay on the field, life was good.

The Bills got into field goal range when this happened

Kwity Paye’s second scored sack pushed the Bills back and set up this field goal attempt:

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Third Quarter

After swapping punts the Bills got into field goal range again

But the results were the same.

Jonathan Taylor and this offensive line, name a better duo

Number four

The good times kept rolling on defense

What a special play.

Number five

Jonathan Taylor scored five touchdowns and finished the game as the NFL’s leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns scored. It’s really difficult for running backs to win MVP awards. It almost never happens but this season there’s no obvious shoe-in from the quarterback position. If he continues at this level there’s a chance Jonathan Taylor could be in serious consideration for that award. If nothing else I don’t see anyone winning offensive player of the year over him.

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Fourth Quarter

Nyheim Hines got in on the action

This was a great misdirection run design from Frank Reich and his staff. Hines picks up a nice chunk of yards and moves the chains.

Taylor wasn’t done

Why wasn’t he done? I’m not sure but he wanted more.

Zaire Franklin coming up big again

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Final Thoughts for the week

I said it in my breakdown of the Bills offense this week; the Bills offense looks a lot different with Spencer Brown at right tackle. With Brown out and their o-line shuffled around, the Bills couldn’t get anything going on offense.

On defense they were without linebacker Tremaine Edwards and while his presence wouldn’t have changed the game dramatically, I do believe rush lanes would have been tougher for Taylor to find had he played.

Either way this was a great total team win against a top five offense and the league’s top ranked defense. When you blow out a team like that, there is reason for celebration. Next week the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town and the Indianapolis Colts will face another difficult challenge. No matter what happens next week, we know they can’t be worse than .500 heading into their week 13 game against the Houston Texans. Things are starting to look up.

Go Colts