INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor made a lightning-quick jump cut through the hole and saw nothing but daylight ahead.

Once the Indianapolis Colts running back reached the goal line, some 65 yards later, his run was still not complete. Taylor kept going, running into the tunnel that leads to the Colts’ locker room in the southwest corner of Lucas Oil Stadium. It was Taylor’s way of sending a message: This time, he would hold on to the football after arriving at the end zone — something he did not do a week ago.

Taylor reached the end zone two more times Sunday, including a 70-yard scoring run, during his 218-yard performance in the Colts’ historic 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans. Indianapolis’ offense dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for a franchise-record 335 yards in a victory that kept the team’s faint playoff hopes alive. The Colts surpassed the previous high established in 1956, nearly three decades before the franchise left Baltimore for the Midwest in 1984.

It was Taylor’s second career 200-yard performance behind only his career-high 253-yard game in the final week of the 2020 season. His most recent performance came on the heels of last Sunday’s game in which Taylor committed a costly miscue, dropping the ball prematurely as he crossed the goal line on a would-be 41-yard run that could’ve given Indianapolis a two-touchdown lead.

The Colts went on to lose the critical matchup, dealing a severe blow to their playoff hopes. Taylor didn’t make the mistake again this week.

“I had already predetermined in my mind that next time, I’m going all the way in the tunnel,” Taylor said Sunday.

In fact, Taylor approached the whole situation with levity. He and backup running back Tyler Goodson planned a bit ahead of the game. After Taylor emerged from the tunnel, Goodson ran up to him and playfully tried to strip the ball, with Taylor keeping a tight grip.

“Just trolling, making the crowd laugh a little bit,” Goodson said.

In reality, there was nothing funny about the way the Colts pushed around the Titans. Tennessee allowed the most rushing yards of any team this season and the second most in Titans/Oilers franchise history. The Colts made no pretense about their intentions, either, at one point running on 12 consecutive plays during three possessions in the second quarter.

“That’s kind of the exciting part,” Taylor said “It’s kind of when you start imposing your will, establishing that line of scrimmage. Those are the types of football games as a running back … you love.”

Tight end Mo Alie-Cox added: “By the end of the game … we were still getting 5 yards a pop. They still couldn’t really stop it. They were calling it, but they couldn’t do nothing about it.”

Then, Alie-Cox relayed a story that unfolded before a particular play.

“It’s hilarious,” he said. “One time, they were like, ‘It’s a screen. Boom.’ And then one of their [defensive] ends was like, ‘Man, they’re about to give it to Jonathan Taylor. He’s about to run for 300 [yards] on us.’ Once he said that, I was like, ‘Yeah, we got him.’”

In light of the rushing success, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t asked to do much from the pocket. He completed just 7 of 11 passes for 131 yards. But Richardson was a part of the rushing bonanza, running for a career-high 70 yards.

Now, the Colts hope to finish with wins over the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars in their remaining two games, along with hoping numerous other dominoes fall their way in their bid to make the postseason.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts’ playoff odds are at 10% according to the New York Times, and that seems high. Here is what to know:

The Colts are out of the playoffs if they lose to the Titans

This is pretty straightforward. If the Colts lose, the most games they can win this season is 8. Seven teams — Kansas City, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles and Denver — already have nine wins.

The Colts can make the playoffs if they win out, Chargers lose out

If the Colts win out against the Titans, Giants and Jaguars, they’ll be 9-8. If the Chargers lose to the Raiders and Patriots. The Colts would win the conference record tiebreaker if they are the only two teams with nine wins.

There are multiple-team scenarios involving Los Angeles but the Colts will make the playoffs if these two scenarios happen.

Colts news: Is Anthony Richardson under heat? What about Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen?

How the Colts can make the playoffs if they win out and the Broncos lose out

If the Broncos lose to Cincinnati and Kansas City and the Colts win out, the Colts make the playoffs if Cincinnati or Miami win out or the Chargers lose out.

The Colts lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to Denver if its just those two teams.

If Los Angeles is also 9-8, it wins the division tiebreaker over the Broncos due to head-to-head and advances to the wild card tiebreaker.

In this scenario, the Colts and Dolphins would have the best conference record at 7-5, eliminating the other possible teams. Indianapolis beat Miami, putting them in the playoffs.

The Indianapolis Colts host the Tennessee Titans in NFL Week 16 action as the Colts try to remain in the AFC playoff race.

The CBS game will be shown in only the Indianapolis and Nashville NFL markets. It will also air in much of Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee, and in parts of Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

When do the Colts play the Titans in NFL Week 16?

1 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

How to watch Colts vs Titans in NFL Week 16

CBS, with Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), and Ross Tucker and Jay Feely (analysis).

How to stream, watch Titans-Colts game for NFL Week 16

The Colts-Broncos matchup will stream on Paramount+ at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. The app is available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Fans can also download NFL+ in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

Colts 2024 schedule

all times ET

Sept. 8: Texans 29, Colts 27

Sept. 15: Packers 16, Colts 10

Sept. 22: Colts 21, Bears 16

Sept. 29: Colts 27, Steelers 24

Oct. 6: Jaguars 37, Colts 34

Oct. 13: Colts 20, Titans 17

Oct. 20: Colts 16, Dolphins 10

Oct. 27: Texans 23, Colts 20

Nov. 3: Vikings 21, Colts 13

Nov. 10: Bills 30, Colts 20

Nov. 17: Colts 28, Jets 27

Nov. 24: Lions 24, Colts 6

Dec. 1: Colts 25, Patriots 24

Dec. 15: Broncos 31, Colts 13

Dec. 22: vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m., CBS

Dec. 29: at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m., Fox

Jan. 5: vs. Jacksonville, TBD