The Indianapolis Colts had a solid offensive performance during their much-needed win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. But no one had a bigger day on that side of the ball than star running back Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor had his best showing of the season during Sunday’s 38-30 victory against the Titans, one where he put up 29 carries, 218 rushing yards, and three touchdowns. It was his second contest in a row with over 100 yards on the ground, and his second time this season landing multiple touchdown scores in one game.

Yet, to put up over 200 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns in one day has been almost unheard of across the past decade in the NFL.

Taylor’s electric 200-yard, three-touchdown performance matches with only two others in the past ten years. ESPN’s Stephen Holder revealed just how rare Taylor’s day was when showcasing the Colts’ most eye-popping stat from Sunday:

“Taylor became the third player with 200-plus rushing yards and three touchdowns in a game over the past decade. His 218 rushing yards were the second most of his career, behind 253 yards against the Jaguars in 2020.”

– Stephen Holder, ESPN

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A day with over 200 yards is nothing new for Taylor, as this one vs. Tennessee only comes in as his second-highest rushing total for his career. Yet, to pair the production on the ground with three rushing touchdowns has only been done by two other players: former Pittsburgh Steelers back Le’Veon Bell and former Titans back, Derrick Henry, who accomplished the feat twice.

It’s been one of Taylor’s better collective seasons since being drafted to Indianapolis in 2020. Through 12 games, he’s posted 1,129 yards on 237 carries, piling in eight rushing touchdowns and a receiving. The historic day against the Titans makes this fifth-year pro look even better.

The Colts back will have some easy assignments on the schedule ahead, hopefully continuing his hot hand moving into the final stretch. Indianapolis will hope to secure two straight wins when they travel to New Jersey this weekend to face the 2-13 New York Giants.

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The Indianapolis Colts are back in the win column following a 38-30 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The game got a little dicey down the stretch, but the Colts were firmly in control for most of the afternoon.

The Colts were propelled by their elite rushing attack in this game, as the team ran for a franchise-record 335 rushing yards. Running back Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Anthony Richardson will deservedly get their praise in the media this week, but superstar guard Quenton Nelson also deserves his fair share of love for the performance.

Nelson was sensational in this game, posting the second-highest run blocking grade in the entire NFL this weekend according to Pro Football Focus. The Colts leaned on their star blocker on multiple short yardage plays and he was a key piece in several runs that broke for big gains. Simply put, Nelson was Nelson against the Titans.

Since offensive linemen rarely get the love they deserve following a game like this, let’s dive into a couple of Nelson’s best blocks of the weekend.

The Key Cog in Short Yardage

The Colts’ short-yardage offense has simplified in recent weeks. Instead of trying to fool defenses with an intricate design or, dare I say, throwing the football, the Colts have leaned on running their star running back or their bulldozer quarterback behind their best offensive lineman on short-yardage plays.

As it turns out, those plays tend to work for the Colts.

Nelson is a dominant force as a puller and he is a devastating displacer in the run game. If the Colts need a few yards to get to the sticks or to punch it into the endzone, it’s always smart to run it behind Nelson. He was the main escort on Richardson’s first touchdown run of the afternoon and he should have been the lead block on his would-be second touchdown as well (if it weren’t bizarrely overturned on replay).

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Block of the Game

Nelson had several blocks in this game that are worthy of mentioning, but this seemingly mundane rep on an eight yard run in the second quarter perfectly encapsulates the greatness of his play.

Nelson is, and always will be, known for his dominant physical traits, but he is one of the more cerebral players in the league on the offensive line. This clip showcases both the physical and the mental prowess in his game. He washes out the B gap defensive tackle with an outstanding combo block that gives Taylor enough room to gain positive yards.

The play could end here with a 4-5 yard gain off of this great interior block, but Nelson takes it one step further. He gets his eyes up and locates the crashing linebacker in the run lane. Nelson then pivots and washes out the linebacker with ease, creating a solid eight yard gain for his running back on the play. It may not be an explosive pancake block, but this play fired me up as a fan of great offensive line play.

Teach-Tape Player

The Colts leaned on their trap/wham run game on Sunday to great success against the Titans’ defense. There are many elements that go into making these plays work, but the core aspect is tricking the interior defensive tackle.

These run plays can only work if the opposing defensive tackle gets vertical penetration too far up the field. After the Colts already hit the Titans with multiple runs like this, a good defensive tackle like T’Vondre Sweat wasn’t going to fall for the same tricks on the interior.

That is where Quenton Nelson comes in. The Colts teach their offensive linemen to flash hands at the defensive tackle to sell the trap run, but it is difficult to pull off every time in live action on gamedays. Nelson executes this run easily, however, and makes this block much easier for rookie Matt Goncalves on the trap call.

Nelson perfectly sets up like he is going to block Sweat on the interior before jumping out wide once Sweat is in the right spot for the trap. This makes Goncalves’ block much easier on the dominant defensive tackle, and Taylor is able to scoot around the block for a solid gain. Again, plays like this are what truly define Nelson as a player.

The Bottom Line

Nelson is a future Hall of Fame player having a fantastic season for the Colts. The team just set a franchise record for rushing yards in a game, and Nelson was a big reason why that happened.

In a year marred by inconsistency and disappointing play, Nelson has been a consistent bright spot. He is a true superstar player for this team and one of the players this Colts team can build around going forward, as they’ve done every year since he was drafted.

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Following another blowout loss in a 34-7 defeat against the Falcons (8-7) on Sunday, the Giants (2-13) made history for all the wrong reasons — losing 10 consecutive games for the first time in their centennial season as an NFL franchise.

If the Giants were to lose their final two games, they’d put a stamp on their fewest wins and go winless at home for the first time in a half century (2-12 in 1974) but most importantly, would own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April.

Feelin’ the Blues: For Giants, losing became an unshakable fabric of their storied history a while ago

Facing the Giants in their regular-season finale at MetLife Stadium will be the Colts (7-8), who are fighting for their playoff lives, currently two games back of the No. 7-seed Broncos with two weeks left.

Our prognosticators throughout the season are: Art Stapleton (Giants/NFL writer, NorthJersey.com), Bert Bainbridge (sports betting analyst/columnist, NorthJersey.com), Steve Edelson (columnist, APP.com), Vince Mercogliano (Rangers/NHL columnist, lohud.com), Brian Marron (digital producer, NorthJersey.com), Chris Iseman (Rutgers writer, NorthJersey.com), Bob Jordan (sports editor, Asbury Park Press/APP.com), and Dave Rivera (sports editor, USA TODAY Northeast/NorthJersey.com).

Our staff standings entering NFL Week 17

Dave Rivera: 12-3

Steve Edelson: 10-3

Vincent Mercogliano: 9-3

Art Stapleton: 10-5

Chris Iseman: 9-5

Bert Bainbridge, Brian Marron: 9-6

Bob Jordan: 5-10

Here are our staff picks and predictions for Giants vs. Colts in Week 17:

Art Stapleton

The pick: Colts 28, Giants 17

Here’s why: You can’t turn the ball over three times at quarterback and expect to win. Drew Lock threw a pair of Pick 6s in Atlanta, and while one of them was in part the result of the offensive line caving in, those kind of turnovers are impossible to overcome. The Giants would love to avoid becoming the first team in NFL history to lose all nine of its games at home since the league added a 17^th game to the schedule. The Giants were last winless at home in 1974 when they played in the Yale Bowl in Connecticut, finishing 0-7. The Colts are still alive in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot, but they need a lot of help.

Bert Bainbridge

The pick: Colts 27, Giants 23

Here’s why: The Giants have only put up 20 points once since their bye in Week 11. Starting QB Drew Lock has more pick-sixes (3) than touchdown passes (1) and total wins the G-Men have on the season (2). Even still, the Colts just surrendered 30 points to a Mason Rudolph-led Titans team at home.

Big Blue will scare fans that desperately want the No. 1 overall pick, but ultimately Indianapolis is able to hold off the Giants, sending them to an 0-9 record at home in what’s been another lost season for the Giants.

More: 2025 NFL Draft order: Here’s where NY Jets sit in projected order after Week 16 loss to Rams

Steve Edelson

The pick: Colts 22, Giants 6

Here’s why: The Giants are in the midst of an historic season, for all the wrong reasons. But if going winless at home helps them get the No. 1 pick in the draft, then so be it.

Bob Jordan

The pick: Colts 30, Giants 10

Here’s why: The 1988 Dallas Cowboys and the 2008 St. Louis Rams share the NFL record for the longest losing streak of regular season home games at 14 straight games. The Giants still have to lose this week and drop their first five games at Met Lifeless next season to get to 14 but there’s hope.

Dave Rivera

The pick: Colts 23, Giants 16

Here’s why: Nobody wants to go winless at home, but nobody benefits by winning this game either. Not that the Giants aren’t trying, but utter lack of talent and ability is keeping this team down.

Chris Iseman

The pick: Colts 27, Giants 7

Here’s why: The Giants are a bad football team. That’s not changing against the Colts. Or at all this season.

BetMGM is the premier destination for sportsbook odds throughout the year.

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