Indianapolis Colts running back, Jonathan Taylor, continues to prove he’s the best running back in the NFL with unique stats.
This past season, Indianapolis Colts running back, Jonathan Taylor, established himself as the best running back in the NFL. He put on a weekly show as he led the league in rushing.
Taylor was the engine of Indy’s offense, leading them to nine victories and the doorstep of the playoffs. While the many records he set have been impressive, there have been several advanced stats that also show how special Taylor has been with the Colts.
One is how Taylor had more yards after contact last season than any running back had total yards. Another impressive stat that Taylor has produced is the most touchdowns against eight-man boxes over the last two seasons.
When defenses load up to stop the run against Indianapolis, Taylor has still been able to score 22 touchdowns in his first two seasons.
Most rushing TD’s against 8+ man boxes over the last two seasons💪
— PFF IND Colts (@PFF_Colts) March 3, 2022
🥇 Jonathan Taylor: 22
🥈 Derrick Henry: 20
🥉 Dalvin Cook: 19 pic.twitter.com/odfWjFpDGp
In second place on this list is Derrick Henry. Henry, the running back of Indy’s AFC South rival Tennessee Titans, is often debated as the other best running back in the NFL.
Indy fans will win this round as Taylor has two more touchdowns against eight-man boxes since 2020.
Jonathan Taylor has bragging rights over Derrick Henry
The likely rebuttal will be that Henry missed half the season this past year and is only two touchdowns behind, which is a fair point. However, Henry has 597 carries over the past two seasons, Taylor only has 564, so the comparison is also fair.
More importantly, these two great running backs are set up to battle for the foreseeable future. The Titans and Colts are similarly built teams and are undoubtedly the top two in the AFC South.
Tennessee has had the edge, winning the AFC South the last two seasons but Taylor was able to take the rushing throne with Henry out last year.
Henry and Taylor will both return next season determined to not only win the AFC South but to run their teams to Super Bowls.
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