The Indianapolis Colts are suddenly staring down a season-defining stretch after a 24-17 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 13 dropped them to 8-4. Once riding high atop the AFC South, the Colts have now lost two in a row and three of their last four. And with injuries mounting-including to quarterback Daniel Jones and star corner Sauce Gardner-there’s a sense of urgency that’s hard to ignore in Indianapolis.
This week’s trip to Jacksonville looms large. The Jaguars, now winners of three straight, have surged into the division lead. For the Colts, Sunday isn’t just another game-it’s a must-win if they want to keep pace in the playoff race and avoid sliding further down the AFC ladder.
So how do they get back on track? According to former NFL safety and current analyst Ryan Clark, the answer is simple: feed Jonathan Taylor.
“I think it starts and ends with Jonathan Taylor,” Clark said on NFL on ESPN. “When you look at the success of this team early on in the season, it was incumbent on Taylor being able to create explosive plays and put the football in the end zone. Then Daniel Jones and that passing game could evolve off of what Taylor was doing.”
And Clark’s not wrong. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Taylor was nothing short of dominant.
His 244-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Falcons in an overtime win was a reminder of just how game-changing he can be when he’s rolling. He’s been the Colts’ offensive heartbeat-and when that pulse slows, the entire team feels it.
In the last few weeks, defenses have made stopping Taylor their top priority-and it’s worked. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and now Houston all managed to bottle him up, forcing the Colts to lean more heavily on a banged-up Daniel Jones. That’s a tough ask, especially with Jones gutting it out through a fractured fibula that’s clearly affecting his mobility and limiting his ability to extend plays.
Clark emphasized that if he were head coach Shane Steichen, his game plan would be built around Taylor from the jump.
“If you’re the Jacksonville Jaguars, you’re going to be focused on stopping him-especially early on in that game,” Clark added.
That’s the chess match Indy finds itself in. Everyone knows Taylor is the focal point. The question is whether the Colts can still execute when the entire stadium knows what’s coming.
Taylor’s numbers this year speak for themselves. He leads the league with 1,282 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, and he’s added another 304 yards and two scores through the air. That’s 17 total touchdowns in just 12 games-MVP-level production, no matter how you slice it.
But if the Colts are going to make a serious postseason push, they need more than numbers-they need Taylor to be the tone-setter. They need the version of him that breaks a 40-yarder in the first quarter and forces defenses to stack the box, opening up play-action opportunities for a limited Jones.
This isn’t just about stats anymore. It’s about survival.
And if Indianapolis wants to stay in the AFC South hunt, it starts with the guy wearing No. 28.