The Chiefs have already shown the Colts the blueprint, and it starts with not leaning so hard on one back that the whole offense starts to bend around him.
Kansas City made Kenneth Walker III a major offseason investment, signing him to a three-year, $43 million deal, and the early returns have been huge. Two weeks into the season, the reigning Super Bowl MVP is sitting on top of the league’s rushing leaderboard with 290 yards on 47 carries. Even with that production, the Chiefs are talking about trimming his load.
Andy Reid said this week he wants to reduce that workload “a little bit.” Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and running backs coach DeMarco Murray are on the same page, and both know firsthand what NFL runners take on every snap.
That’s exactly the conversation the Colts ought to be having about Jonathan Taylor.
Through carries and receptions, Walker is averaging 28 touches per game, a number that would be a massive drop from Taylor’s workload in Indianapolis. Taylor has long been asked to carry too much, and through the first two games of 2026 he is on pace for more than 400 combined touches, or 25 runs and receptions per game. That kind of pace is not built to last.
The numbers from last season tell the story as cleanly as anything can. Over the first 10 games of 2025, Taylor topped 100 yards in five of them and averaged 112 rushing yards per game.
Indianapolis went 8-2. Over the final seven games, that average dropped all the way to 64 yards, he never got to 90 in a game, and the Colts lost every time.
There were other factors, sure. But the pattern is hard to ignore. Taylor seemed to wear down because the Colts never found a reason to trust anyone else with real work.
The backup usage was tiny. Ameer Abdullah, DJ Giddens, Tyler Goodson, and Ulysses Bentley combined for just 68 touches in 2025.
Taylor had 369. That meant 85% of the team’s running back touches went to one player.
That is simply insane.
Even Baltimore, with Derrick Henry, gave its lead back only 72% of the team’s running back touches last season.
The Colts’ problem isn’t new, either. Chris Ballard has not treated running back as a priority since drafting Taylor in 2020.
The other backs currently in the room, Giddens and Seth McGowan, were late-round picks. In 11 professional games, they’ve put together 28 carries for 96 yards and one catch for no yards.
That kind of profile is exactly why the Chiefs’ approach stands out. Reid and Kansas City have reason to feel good about easing Walker back because rookie Emmett Johnson is already giving them something. The fifth-round pick has 14 touches and 103 yards in his first two NFL games, which is more than Giddens and McGowan have produced in their combined 11 games.
There are plenty of ways to frame the Colts’ issue. Maybe Ballard hasn’t put enough value on the position.
Maybe he hasn’t found the right late-round answer. Maybe Shane Steichen and Jim Bob Cooter simply haven’t been willing to take Taylor off the field.
Whatever the reason, the result is the same. It isn’t working.
And that’s why the Chiefs’ example matters. They’ve won three Super Bowls since the Colts last won a playoff game, and they understand the value of protecting their best runner by giving him some help. Indianapolis should take the hint.
In Other News...
Colts Veteran Fires Back At Growing Sideline Distraction Debate
Carlie Irsay-Gordons sideline presence has become a talking point around the Colts, but inside the locker room it does not sound like much of a story at all. The Indianapolis owner and CEO has spent years on the field level during games, a habit that has lately prompted outside debate about whether it creates an unnecessary distraction for the team.
Mo Alie-Cox pushed back on that narrative, saying the players do not view Irsay-Gordon being on the sideline as a problem and taking issue with the media for turning it into one. Irsay-Gordon has described her own approach as practical, saying being there helps her understand how the operation works and make more informed decisions, which only adds another layer to a discussion that seems louder outside the building than inside it. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Have Finally Solved A Problem Houston Can Expose
Chris Ballard has spent years trying to stabilize the Colts offensive line, and while the results have been uneven since his arrival in 2017, there have been clear wins along the way. Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith are still the names that define the best versions of Ballards draft work, but Indianapolis may be finding another piece in rookie right tackle Jalen Travis. A fourth-round pick in 2024, Travis has already started six games and earned strong early grades from Pro Football Focus.
For a Colts team that has not reached the postseason since 2020, finding answers up front matters almost as much as finding them anywhere else. Travis has looked solid in both pass protection and run blocking through two games this season, which is exactly the kind of early stability Indianapolis has been chasing at a spot opponents can attack. Houston is the kind of matchup that can expose any lingering weakness, so the Colts will be watching closely to see whether this early comfort on the right side holds up when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Need Unexpected Help Against Houston And These Names Stand Out
The Colts head into Week 3 with Shane Steichen under real pressure to steady a team that has not looked like it expected to this early in the season. A trip to face the Texans brings a familiar kind of urgency, and Indianapolis may need some unexpected help to get the offense and defense pointed in the right direction.
Seth McGowan could see a bigger role if the Colts are looking for a fresh spark, while Justin Walley has a chance to show he belongs as a starter in a game that will demand sharp coverage. Keenan Allen, meanwhile, is one of the more proven pieces on the roster, but Indianapolis needs more from him than name value if it is going to keep pace in Houston. [Read more 🡒]