Colts running back Jonathan Taylor on Thursday was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
Taylor rushed for 478 yards on 79 attempts (6.1 yards per carry), had 195 yards on 13 receptions (15 yards per reception) and totaled seven touchdowns in five October games. Taylor led the NFL in October in yards from scrimmage, yards per carry and explosive (10+ yard) runs.
"That guy is special, man, he has special talent," wide receiver T.Y. Hilton said. "He's powerful, he's speedy in the open field and he's a guy we can lean on (in) the run game, pass game. He's catching passes, taking screens to the house and is a big, key piece to this offense."
Taylor had at least 110 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in each of the Colts' five October games, and was the only player in the NFL to have over 100 yards from scrimmage in every game in Weeks 4-8:
- Week 4 (at Miami): 16 carries, 103 yards; three catches, 11 yards; 1 TD
- Week 5 (at Baltimore): 15 carries, 53 yards; 3 catches, 116 yards; 2 TDs
- Week 6 (vs. Houston): 14 carries, 145 yards, 1 catch, 13 yards; 2 TDs
- Week 7 (at San Francisco): 18 carries, 107 yards, 3 catches, 3 yards; 1 TD
- Week 8 (vs. Tennessee): 16 carries, 70 yards; 3 catches, 52 yards; 1 TD
Taylor's 76-yard touchdown on a screen against the Ravens and his 83-yard run against the Texans stand as two of the 10 longest plays of the 2021 season entering Week 9. His 83-yard run stands as the longest in the NFL since Week 10 of the 2020 season and is the longest running play in Colts history.
The 22-year-old Taylor's 478 rushing yards are the third-highest October total for a running back in Colts history, behind only Edgerrin James (612 yards, 2000) and Eric Dickerson (592 yards, 1988). And Taylor's seven touchdowns are tied for the second-most in October in franchise history behind Lenny Moore (8, 1961).
Taylor is the first Colts player to win AFC Offensive Player of the Month since Andrew Luck (November 2018), and he's the first Colts running back since Edgerrin James (October 2005) to earn the honors.
