When Jonathan Taylor breaks free and sees an open field in front of him, the only things on his mind are winning the footrace and getting to the end zone.
When Tyler Goodson and Ryan Kelly see it – whether they're on the sidelines or on the field with Taylor – they know he's not getting caught.
When Shane Steichen sees it, all he does is smile.
"There's nothing sweeter than being on your own 40-yard line and seeing JT house one to the crib," Kelly said on Sunday, after Taylor was the driving force behind the Colts' 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans. "It's the best."
One week prior, in the Colts' loss to the Denver Broncos, Taylor had an open field and fumbled the ball at the goal line. How could his teammates and coaches still have that kind faith in him? The answer is simple: because Taylor made it clear that it would never happen again, and that's not the kind of player he is, or ever has been.
So, even though Taylor said he didn't view this week's game against the Titans as a redemption game, that's still what it turned out to be.
"I don't think he could have responded any better," Steichen said. "He was phenomenal all day."
Phenomenal is one way to put it. Historic is another.
Taylor rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the win, marking the second time in the running back's career he rushed for over 200 yards and the first time in his career he scored a total of three rushing touchdowns in a game. Taylor also now has a total of 1,129 rushing yards on the season; this is the third time in his career he has recorded over 1,000 rushing yards in a season and the first time since 2021.
In 2021, Taylor set career highs in single-game rushing yards (253) and single-game rushing touchdowns (four), so those remain unchanged. But the Colts' offense collectively changed the record books on Sunday when they combined for a total of 335 rushing yards for a new franchise record, and Taylor was the primary contributor.
Taylor had two runs of 65 yards or more against the Titans, and both ended with the running back crossing into the end zone; Taylor broke free for a 65-yard dash in the second quarter and a 70-yard sprint within the first few seconds of the third quarter. The 70-yard run was Taylor's third-longest run of his career and the second-longest rushing touchdown of his career.
After Taylor's fumble at the goal line against the Broncos, all eyes were on the football when the running back got close to the end zone. And while Taylor said that wasn't on his mind anymore, stressing the importance of not harping on the past, his teammates were thinking about it – but all in good fun, knowing Taylor wasn't going to let that one play define him.
"We were laughing about that on the sideline — even when he crossed the goal line, he did his clasp hand over the ball, then he ran into the tunnel," tight end Mo Alie-Cox said. "I mean, I think he wanted to come out and show everybody that he's still a capable back. Everybody was ragging on him the whole week after that play, but I was like, he still had 100 yards (vs. Denver) — bro still played great. It was just one bad play, so just flush it and respond. And I think today he came out here and showed everybody what he's about."
And both times Taylor emerged from the scrum of players at the line of scrimmage, his team knew he was going to score.
"It's amazing, man," Richardson said. "I know he's been looking to have one of these games all year. I know our O-line's been looking to help him out like that. But just seeing it happening, it's just surprising, cause it's like 'Man, that guy's really good.'"
Taylor's teammates weren't the only ones who knew how prolific the running back could be with the ball in his hands, though. The Titans wised up to the fact that Steichen had no qualms about feeding Taylor play after play – but that didn't mean they were able to catch him, even when they knew what was coming.
"We were running the same play, and they couldn't stop it," Alie-Cox said with a grin. "By the end of the game it was like, they're running over here, they're doing this – we were still getting five yards a pop. They couldn't really stop it."
"That's kind of the most exciting part is kind of when you start imposing your will, establishing that line of scrimmage," Taylor said. "Those are the type of football games, as a running back at least, those are the type of games that you love."
Taylor averaged 7.5 yards per carry on Sunday, and his short runs were just as impactful as the long ones. His third touchdown of the day came in the form of a one-yard run through the line of defenders, a testament to Taylor's agility and ability to read a play and the offensive line's execution on blocking. It didn't leave Taylor quite as breathless as the first two, but it put the Colts up 38-7 in a moment that proved vital as the Titans tried to mount a fourth-quarter comeback.
"It's great," Alie-Cox said of Taylor carving up the Titans' defense. "It's hilarious. We went out there one time and they were like 'screen!' And one of the D-ends was like, man, they're about to give it to Jonathan Taylor, he about to run for 300 on us! Once he said that, it was like yeah, we got them."
Alie-Cox also played an important role in Taylor's success, acting primarily as a blocker throughout the game with the rest of the tight ends and wide receivers. But it all started with the offensive line, and Taylor made that clear after the game.
"Shout out to the guys up front, "Taylor said. "They do a ton of heavy lifting week in and week out. You always have to show love to the guys up front."
With that, the Colts' offensive line was arguably just as excited as Taylor was for his touchdowns. Whether they were simply watching Taylor run with their arms already raised in the air like Kelly, or lifting him in the air after he scored like guard Mark Glowinski, they knew they had played a key part in the score.
"Everybody's got to seal the block exactly perfectly to get that run, that lane and then JT's vision, just to see his patience to hold off until that lane opens up and then make guys miss in the back end, it's a beautiful thing," Kelly said. "And I think the great thing is like, it's not my block, it's not Glow's (Glowinski) block, it's not Q's (Quenton Nelson) block, it's everybody's block. Everybody had a piece of that."
Taylor, like the rest of his teammates, had one main goal on Sunday: win. For the running back, though, even if he didn't say it outright, this game was also an opportunity to show his teammates, coaches and Colts fans alike that he was a man of his word and that he would never make another mistake like that fumble again. So he celebrated humorously, making sure to clutch the ball as tightly as possible when he crossed the line, and took the jokes from his teammates in stride. But after the game, Taylor carried himself with the air of a man who knew he did more than just win on Sunday.
