Colts: Jonathan Taylor’s dominant game keys huge win over Raiders

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor had himself a DAY against the Raiders.

The Indianapolis Colts have shown a little bit of everything during the 2020 season, but as positive as we feel about the strides the defense has made, it’s fair to be a little disappointed in the running game’s efforts.

After all, we anticipated a three-headed monster led by the bruising Marlon Mack, the rookie Jonathan Taylor, and the scat back Nyheim Hines.

But Mack went down during the season’s opening minutes, and after that impactful moment, the rotation never made much natural sense. Some weeks, Hines was somehow the leading rusher in a ground game that didn’t include a whole lot of pounding. Occasionally, the Colts would turn to Jordan Wilkins in spaces where we anticipated Taylor would be making more of an impact.

And then, of course, there was the kid. Sometimes he controlled the clock all by himself, only to disappear in the second half. Sometimes his collegiate fumble woes reappeared at inopportune times, knocking him right back off kilter after he’d made some serious gains.

But luckily, sometimes he’s been just perfect. And Sunday in Las Vegas was one of those days.

Hines took charge of this one from the opening drive — but for the first time in a while, Taylor grabbed the reins and turned it into a certified Taylor game by the final whistle.

Ultimately, he piled up 150 rushing yards on 20 attempts, good for a punishing 7.5 per carry average that led to two scores.

Taylor’s chunk plays came in every flavor, including a 20-yard reception and a wildcat handoff from Hines for a touchdown.

It simply felt good to watch him own the offensive narrative, while the defense did more than enough to turn this one from squeaker to blowout.

And Mack, the man who we thought would pave the way for Taylor all year, let it be known from his perch that he was watching this one like a hawk.

There was an overload of things to love about this contest that pushed the Colts to 9-4 on the year.

But our favorite part? Everything almost went according to Indy’s Week 1 plan, even though this team took a hell of a route to get there.

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