Indianapolis, IN — Former Indianapolis Colts star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton had become the Houston Texans’ worst nightmare during his playing days. Hilton was essentially guaranteed 100 receiving yards and 1 touchdown every time he strapped up to take on the AFC South foe in question. In particular, Houston’s NRG Stadium had become so fearful of Hilton’s inevitable production that he played into the bit and showed up pre-game with a Clown mask before torching them in the AFC Wildcard round.
Fast-forward to the current day, and Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor has officially been passed the torch of boogeyman status. Today’s 40-6 rout over the Las Vegas Raiders was the solidifier of such.
When head coach Shane Steichen arrived in Indianapolis ahead of the 2023-24 season, he preached his offensive philosophy of ‘throwing to score, running to win. ’ Just two seasons later, this mindset has materialized into one of the most efficient offenses in the league.
Jonathan Taylor, of course, is one of the biggest factors in such success. Not only have his legs allowed Indy to cruise by multiple opponents in second halfs, but his newfound ability as both a passcatcher and a pass protector has allowed him to evolve into an objective superstar.
Against the Raiders on Sunday, Taylor touched the ball 20 times, gaining 84 yards and scoring thrice. His hat-trick in the box score may read as if Taylor benefited from short-yardage situations near the goal line, and while he did, his overall output against a heavily stacked box was most impressive. According to Next Gen Stats, Taylor faced a stacked box on over 70% of his rush attempts, totaling 51 yards on 12 attempts (4.3 YPC) when facing a box with 8 or more defenders. Half of Taylor’s rushes against stacked boxes gained positive EPA (50.0% success rate).
The Raiders prepared for Taylor’s big day, but they still couldn’t stop him. As alluded to, Las Vegas didn’t have just this season’s first month of play to study for, as it pertains to Taylor, they have a half-decade worth of personal victimization to go by. Dating back to when Taylor was a rookie, here are his updated outputs against the Raiders:
2020: 22 touches, 165 yards, 2 TDs
2021: 21 touches, 114 yards, 1 TD
2022: 24 touches, 163 yards, 1 TD
2023: 22 touches, 104 yards, 1 TD
2025: 20 touches, 86 yards, 3 TDs
In summation, Jonathan Taylor is averaging 20 touches for 126 yards and nearly 2 touchdowns versus the Las Vegas Raiders. Taylor is currently too busy trying to earn the Offensive Player of the Year Award that then-Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp won over him for the 2021-22 season, but it should be acknowledged that the Colts once again have a player who strikes fear into an entire organization. Based on how strong his 2025-26 campaign has gone thus far, it warrants consideration for whether his dominance is reaching national levels, because his efforts certainly deserve praise.
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