3 silver linings from the Colts’ loss to the Buccaneers

The Indianapolis Colts may have lost on Sunday, but there were some positive takeaways.

After three straight victories, the Indianapolis Colts dropped a close game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. It’s an extremely tough loss to accept considering the game was very winnable for Indianapolis.

Despite all the things that went wrong in the game for the Colts, there was plenty of good that took place. No one wants to settle for moral victories, especially when it’s a quality team in a playoff race, but Indianapolis did display some things fans should be excited about moving forward.

Considering the team is only 6-6 and still in the thick of the playoff hunt, there is room to acknowledge some positive takeaways from Sunday’s loss. So let’s look at three silver linings from the loss to the Buccaneers.

3. Silver linings for Colts in Bucs loss: Jonathan Taylor finds ways to be productive

After his performance against the Bills, all eyes certainly were going to be on Jonathan Taylor against the Buccaneers. It was the league’s best running back vs. the league’s best run defense, so everyone was curious which would prevail.

The possible MVP didn’t have a dominant day, and some of that was due to Tampa’s defense but also because Taylor didn’t get a heavy workload. Despite not having an explosive day, Taylor still found ways to be productive.

Even when Taylor wasn’t treated to the best of running lanes, he knew how to make something out of nothing and find positive yards. He was contributing in the passing game and made the most of every touch he had.

When the fourth quarter came, Taylor reached his most dominant form, leading the Colts on a 10-play, 75-yard drive. On that drive alone, Taylor had eight carries, 58 yards and the tying touchdown.

This drive left fans wishing Taylor had gotten more carries, but it also validated what fans already felt to be true: Taylor is a running back that can excel against any defense late into the game. While that didn’t translate to a victory on Sunday, it was great to see that it is the case.