Jonathan Taylor’s season has started in a way nobody around the Colts expected, and ESPN’s Seth Walder doesn’t see the Tennessee Titans as the opponent that gets him back on track.
Through five games, Taylor is tied for 29th in yards per carry at 3.9 per attempt. The explosive runs that usually define his game haven’t shown up often enough either, with Taylor ranking 23rd in PFF’s breakaway rate metric, which tracks how frequently a back produces a run of 15 or more yards.
That sets up a tough matchup for Indianapolis’ ground game against a Titans defense that has made life difficult on opposing runners all year. Tennessee is allowing just 3.5 yards per rush, one of the stronger marks in football.
Walder expects that trend to continue. “Taylor will be held to under 3.0 yards per carry ... albeit in a Colts victory.
One of the only bright spots for the Titans this season is that they are holding opponents to just 3.5 yards per carry. That number drops to 3.1 against outside zone, which the Colts run 49% of the time.”
The Colts are also dealing with issues in the passing game that make the run even easier to defend. Without a consistent vertical threat, defenses can crowd the line and compress the field. After the Pittsburgh game, Shane Steichen said Taylor has been seeing a lot of heavy boxes.
That’s the bigger problem for Indianapolis right now: Taylor and the ground attack are usually the engine of the offense, but until those pieces start producing, moving the ball in a steady way is going to be a challenge.
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