After only taking 10 snaps in his season debut last week against the Tennessee Titans, it was clear that the Colts were intent on increasing Jonathan Taylor's role in the offense.
This week, he played 32 of the team's 75 snaps, good for nearly 43 percent of the offensive plays.
A big jump from last week's usage, Taylor said the extra week to prepare was key for getting his body ready for the increased workload.
"Just having that full two weeks to really prep your body on high-intensity yardage," Taylor said. "You're turning on your muscles whenever you run a play, every muscle in your body is firing. So, being able to get two weeks of that before you go into a game when you incorporate collisions - that's just a big thing, being able to prep the body because nothing is going to be able to simulate the game, but you got to prep it as much as you can."
While Taylor has gained a lot of notoriety around the league with the plays he can make with his legs, his hands were his best asset against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
His biggest play of the game was a 40-yard reception that he managed to take all the way to the Jaguars' 30-yard line. The play was his longest reception since his 76-yard touchdown catch against the Baltimore Ravens Week 5 of the 2021 season.
"It felt a little weird," Taylor said. "Usually you're inside of the box and there's a lot of bodies around. You really don't get a lot of open space in the league at all. So, when I finally got that for the first time it was [like], 'Oh, no one's here. Let's just run, just go.' That felt really good. Like you said, it was the first time in a while, so that was really rewarding."
Having run through that play a lot during the previous week of practice, Taylor said he was confident he'd be able to have success with it during the game.
"When you get that look, you just kind of have to keep your composure," Taylor said. "Remember the details because you just start smiling from ear to ear when you know you know you got that look that you want."
As Taylor continues to get more comfortable with the variety of ways coach Steichen will look to use him, he said Steichen's creativity will lead to big things for the offense.
"I was excited when we hired Shane just cause I knew how he utilizes the running backs," Taylor said. "He utilizes the entire field with all his players, so I think that was a big plus for us because we have a lot of skill guys. We have a lot of players that can make plays and I think he's gonna be able to help us bring that out."
All told, Taylor had eight carries for 19 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards.
