The NFL loves Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. It should. He is the best running back of his generation, consistently great and ultra-productive. He transcends the inconsistent quarterback help he has gotten and exposes any weakness in a defense.
Thankfully, this has been remedied this year by the excellence of quarterback Daniel Jones. Whether Jones is helping Taylor more or vice versa doesn't matter so much. What matters most to fans is that Taylor and Jones are working so well together, and the offense is an unstoppable force.
Taylor is the one getting a lot of awards this season, though. Multiple times, he has won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and he has now been given the AFC Offensive Player of the Month award for October.
Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor earns another award
In four Indy victories during the month, Taylor had a very good 436 rushing yards, as well as 93 receiving yards, but what was most impressive was his incredible total of 10 touchdowns (nine rushing and one receiving). Taylor leads the NFL through eight games in rushing yards (850), touchdowns (14), and total yards (1,056).
The big question now is how much of a candidate Jonathan Taylor is for NFL MVP. The issue isn't Taylor, but how the league has trended toward handing out its top award. Unless a person plays quarterback, that player is unlikely to have a realistic chance at MVP.
Since 2007, only one non-QB has won MVP, and that was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. That timeline includes two running backs, Derrick Henry in 2020 and Saquon Barkley in 2025, who both rushed for more than 2,000 yards in their respective seasons.
The chances of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes winning MVP are probably still far greater than Jonathan Taylor's odds. That might make the Associated Press NFL MVP award meaningless, because, ultimately, it isn't going to the most important player.
Take Taylor off the Indianapolis Colts, and Indy is probably still good, but Taylor makes the team great. The threat of his explosiveness allows Indy receivers more space as opponents have to crunch the line to try to stop Jonathan Taylor.
If the Colts only lose a couple of games, Taylor must be a part of the MVP discussion. Ironically, though, a reason he doesn't win is because his own quarterback, Daniel Jones, is getting his own MVP votes, causing Taylor to get fewer.