The Indianapolis Colts surprised a lot of folks during Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. They welcomed the Miami Dolphins to Lucas Oil Stadium and throttled their AFC East counterparts by a lopsided score of 33-8.
Quarterback Daniel Jones looked like a completely new man under Shane Steichen, and both Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor picked up where they left off from impressive campaigns in 2024.
However, with a difficult Denver Broncos team on the horizon in Week 2, there is no rest for the weary. Denver's defense is certainly among the league's best, and Taylor, in particular, has an embarrassing play from last year that he'd surely like to avenge on Sunday.
Colts' Jonathan Taylor can avenge infamous goal line fumble against Broncos
In Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season, the Colts traveled to Denver to take on the 8-6 Broncos. While Indianapolis was 6-8 with three games remaining in the season, both of these teams were fighting hard for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.
The Colts jumped on the Broncos early and went into halftime with a 13-7 lead. Quarterback Bo Nix then came out to start the half and threw an interception to cornerback Samuel Womack, his second of the game, which gave Indianapolis great field position.
They wasted no time making Denver pay for this mistake, as on the second play, Taylor darted through the Broncos' defense for a 40-yard touchdown to put the Colts up 20-7. Or so fans thought. It turned out that Taylor dropped the ball before he got into the end zone, and it went out of bounds.
This meant that the result of the play, because it was a fumble through the end zone, was that the Broncos got the ball back on offense at their own 20-yard line. Indianapolis absolutely crumbled after this, losing by a score of 31-13, giving up 24 unanswered points after the fumble.
Not only did the loss knock the Colts out of the playoffs, but it catapulted the Broncos into the postseason. The win, combined with a cheap Week 18 defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs' backups, allowed Denver to sneak in as the seven-seed in the AFC.
Taylor recorded 98 yards of offense in the Colts' season opener, and he went on an absolute tear in the final three games of the 2024 season after this brutal miscue. Hopefully, he can bring this energy on Sunday when Indianapolis hosts Denver, and he can get some revenge for this play.