The Indianapolis Colts likely hoped not to be forced to overload Jonathan Taylor this season as they did last season. The plan, if that was the plan, isn't panning out because Taylor is the reason the Colts have won two games this season and come close to a third, while the offense has struggled overall.
Taylor was once again terrific for the Colts against the Washington Commanders, this time across the sea in London, England. International excellence is part of Taylor's own trend, though, as he has never had a bad game while playing abroad.
The best part of Taylor's 95-yard, two-touchdown performance was that it got Indianapolis the win. However, with the Colts' offense not looking good this season, they've been forced to overload Taylor once again. The question is: can they run this way for a full season again? And how is Taylor doing it despite not surpassing 100 yards in a game yet?
Jonathan Taylor makes NFL history in the Indianapolis Colts' win over the Washington Commanders in London
The Colts left the United Kingdom with their second win of the season, the most important thing about Week 4 for them, but the highlights and celebration belong to Taylor. The veteran rusher ranks second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns (6), behind Derrick Henry (7).
Taylor is also top-three in rushing attempts (86) and ranks fifth in yards (353). Remarkably, Taylor has done all of this without reaching the 100-yard mark once in four games. Suffice it to say, Taylor has put the Colts' offense on his back and, for now, carried them without missing a step.
Furthermore, Taylor has proven to be the Colts' only offensive player playing with any consistency to this point. Daniel Jones has struggled mightily under center, committing seven turnovers in four games (including two more against Washington), and because of his struggles, the Colts' receiving corps hasn't looked great.
Last season, Taylor carried the Colts offense all the way, but largely because Jones missed significant time due to injury. This season, Jones is healthy and should be creating offense in the passing attack. Yet, Taylor remains the horsepower. Given how the offense has looked so far, if the Colts needed Taylor last year, they need him more than ever this year.
In the win over the Commanders, Taylor also made NFL history, becoming the league's all-time leading rusher in International games. He now has 408 rushing yards on International ground and added two more to the touchdown record with his fifth and sixth touchdowns.
The Colts have also been successful in International games of late, winning their last three in London, Berlin, and Frankfurt.
With the win against the Commanders, the Colts improve to 2-2 on the year, which is significant given the losses of their AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans. That said, Week 4 gave the Colts plenty to evaluate, and their offense, sans Taylor, is a huge part of it.
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