Is rookie RB Jonathan Taylor’s fumble problem something to worry about moving forward for the Colts?
For two quarters, it looked as though the Indianapolis Colts were up to the challenge of taking the Baltimore Ravens down to the wire. Then, the second half took place and fans were served a humble reminder that the offense, which was limited to three points after the first 15 minutes of action, isn’t yet equipped to overcome some of the better defensive units in the NFL.
While the Colts looked as though they didn’t belong on the same field as Baltimore in the second half, one could certainly argue that the turning point of the game came on running back Jonathan Taylor’s fumble at the end of the first quarter, which was returned for a touchdown and tied the score at 7-7.
Up until that point, Indianapolis did an exceptional job at neutralizing Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ potent rushing attack and the scoop-and-score really gave them a needed lifeline, which begs the question: Is Taylor’s proneness to coughing up the football something to worry about moving forward for the Colts?
First lost fumble of the year for the Colts' running backs. Big-time mistake from Jonathan Taylor there.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 8, 2020
Listen, we know it was Taylor’s first fumble of the season, but there’s absolutely reason to worry about the potential of it becoming a regular problem now that the cat is out of the bag. After all, that was the only knock on him coming out of Wisconsin, where he was the consensus best RB in the country for three years.
His superhuman production for the Badgers — he tallied 926 carries for 6,174 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground — often convinced fans to let his fumbling issue fall by the wayside. Across 968 total touches (42 catches), Taylor fumbled a whopping 18 times. That equates to six per season, and was the most of any running back at the top of the 2020 Draft class by a wide margin.
The 21-year-old stud has made significant strides in that department as an NFL rookie, but it’s worth noting that he hardly played after committing that back-breaking mistake. In fact, his first carry following the fumble came past the midway point of the fourth quarter.
6:09 of the 4th quarter was Jonathan Taylor’s first carry since his fumble late in the 1st quarter.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) November 8, 2020
We’re not saying that head coach Frank Reich should outright bench Taylor after the first fumble of his career, but he might see his already-dwindling workload — he hasn’t handled more than 15 carries in a game since Week 4 — continue to decrease.
For his sake and the sake of Indianapolis’ stagnant offense, let’s hope that this was just a one-time occurrence for the 2020 second-round pick, who admittedly hasn’t been nearly as dominant as we expected coming into the season.
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