Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor has enjoyed an impressive bounce-back season in 2024, and his production could skyrocket even further this weekend against the New York Jets.

Coming off of two disappointing seasons plagued by injury and inconsistency, Taylor has relatively returned to his once-dominant form in 2024. He ranks top ten in yards per carry this season (at 4.9) and is fourth among all running backs in rushing yards per game (88.0). He is also on pace to break 10 rushing touchdowns for the first time since his historic 2021 campaign.

Taylor currently sits at 616 yards rushing this season and that number could grow exponentially this weekend against the Jets. Among the many factors leaning in Taylor’s favor this week, the return of starting quarterback Anthony Richardson should provide a major boost to the veteran running back.

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All five of Taylor’s rushing touchdowns this season have come with Richardson at quarterback, and Taylor averages nearly a full yard per carry more with the 22 year old signal caller under center. With the Colts’ run success rate back to a more sustainable rate and with Richardson drawing away defenders in the box, Tayor should have more room to run this weekend than he has had in recent weeks.

The other massive factor to consider this weekend is the Colts’ opponent on the other side of the field. The Jets are the 26th best defense in football this season in rush EPA, and that number falls even further to 30th in the past five weeks. Their defense is also coming off of a putrid game against the Arizona Cardinals where they racked up over 20 missed tackles in the blowout loss.

The Colts have ranked favorably as a rush offense this season, sitting inside the top 10-15 in yards per carry, yards, and yards per game on the ground. The impressive aspect of those stats is that the Colts have faced just one run defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in rush EPA through 10 weeks this season (the Chicago Bears at 24th).

The Colts have been grinding out adequate days against top tier run defenses this season, but this weekend is a chance to feed Taylor against a unit that is struggling to stop anything on the ground. The return of Richardson as the starter compounded with the Jets’ struggles stopping the run could lead to a massive performance for the star running back.

If the Colts enter this game committed to running the football, nothing should stop this team (or even Taylor for that matter) from hitting season-best numbers on the ground. This is the clear path to victory for the Colts’ offense and Taylor is primed and ready for a massive day.

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