The Colts schedule is set up for Jonathan Taylor to have an even bigger year this season
Jonathan Taylor had a breakout season in his second year with the Indianapolis Colts but his third season has the potential to be even bigger.
Last season, Jonathan Taylor established himself as the best running back in the NFL. Weekly, he ran the Indianapolis Colts to victory while leading the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Taylor was so dominant that he had more yards after contact than anyone else had total rush yards.
Along the way, Taylor picked up several records and accolades like being named First-Team All-Pro and being selected to the Pro Bowl. This was all during his second season, so now, everyone is excited to see what the young running back will do next.
While another productive season is expected, many are anticipating that things will be dialed back a bit. There’s a belief that Taylor will still be dominant but that the Colts will have a more balanced offense, so we won’t be relied on as much as he was last season.
Although that may be the case, there’s also some evidence that points to Taylor having an even bigger season than he did last year. That evidence is Indy’s schedule. As pointed out by Lawrence Owen, next season, Indianapolis will play nine of the 10 worst run defenses from last year.
The #Colts play 9 of the 10 worst run defenses in the #NFL (from 2021) this season:
— Lawrence Owen (@Colts_Law) July 6, 2022
#1 #Steelers 5 YPC
#2 #Chiefs 4.8
#4 #Vikings 4.7
#5 #Cardinals 4.6
#6 #Texans 4.6
#7 #Chargers 4.6
#8 #Patriots 4.5
#9 #Cowboys 4.5
#10 #Giants 4.5
This bodes well for @Colts RB: @JayT23! pic.twitter.com/8TWjicgQMQ
Colts will play all the bad run defenses next season
When Taylor ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns against a top run defense in the Buffalo Bills last season, Indianapolis proved that it can run the ball against anyone. However, things will certainly be easier when Indy is lining up against a lot of inferior opponents.
Last year, the Colts had five games against teams that ranked in the bottom-10 for yards per carry allowed, the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and the Houston Texans twice. In those games, Indy was 5-0 and Taylor ran for 738 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s 147.6 yards per game at 6.1 yards a carry.
As noted, this upcoming season, 10 of Indy’s 17 games will be against teams that had bottom-10 run defenses last season. If they didn’t improve, Jonathan Taylor and the Colts will have a field day on the ground.
