Jonathan Taylor quietly making history makes Colts worth watching in Week 18

It's not an exciting time for fans of the Indianapolis Colts. A season that started with so much promise has turned into one where no one is safe, given how quickly Indy collapsed. A series of critical mistakes made by general manager Chris Ballard have doomed the team not just for this year, but several beyond it, too.

For a moment, it looked like the Colts might close out the season on a good note, as they briefly pulled ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17. But despite putting up one heck of a fight, the Colts still walked away with a loss, and running back Jonathan Taylor summed up exactly how fans were feeling in post-game remarks.

Speaking to ESPN's Stephen Holder from the locker room, Taylor held nothing back. "The good teams don't lose five, six in a row," he said, adding, "It’s those one or two, three or four plays that those great teams, they make. They find a way." And while Taylor is 100% correct about this, it's also worth noting that he proved Sunday that he is still one of the league's greats.

Jonathan Taylor is giving Colts fans something worth holding onto

It's no surprise to any Colts fan that Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the league. Before Indy's season fell apart, there was talk that he could end up being league MVP. But if the Colts aren't winning, Taylor won't get an MVP nod, regardless of how good he plays.

And while Taylor hasn't been quite as explosive as usual, much of that isn't entirely his fault. With Daniel Jones gone, opposing defenses have known to target him as the biggest threat on the Colts offense. Injuries to the offensive line have slowed him down too, but let's be real: Taylor is too good to be stopped.

His performance against the Jaguars proved that. According to the NFL's Seven from Sunday press release, Taylor has landed in legendary territory. He was able to run for a touchdown against the Jaguars, and while one TD may not seem like much to celebrate, for Taylor, it is. That became his 18th rushing touchdown, a feat he previously accomplished in 2018.

He now joins just three other players — Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Priest Holmes — to have 18 or more touchdowns in multiple seasons.

But that's not all; he also reached 9,028 scrimmage yards and 76 touchdowns since joining the NFL in 2020, something only six other players (including four Hall of Famers) have done; this season, he also racked up 1,924 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns, with only five other players in NFL history with to get at least 1,500 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns in multiple seasons.

It may not be much of a consolation prize, but it is worth noting that everything isn't necessarily a disaster with the Colts. The quarterback situation is the most worrying, but it's also worth remembering that there are some genuinely great players still on the roster.