With the lack of mobility at quarterback, Jonathan Taylor needs to shoulder the load.
The run game for the Indianapolis Colts against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night was paltry at best. Jonathan Taylor failed to crack 50-yards which is somewhat surprising given the fact that 100-yards is usually within his reach on many occasions, and he is normally good for at least one decent sized gain a game. With Joe Flacco at quarterback now, any threat of the QB escaping the pocket or having a designed run is completely and utterly gone. The Colts need Jonathan Taylor to greatly improve his 3.7-yards a carry from last week to have a chance against the Buffalo Bills. The question is which Bills run defense will we see?
Last time Taylor and the Colts met the Bills, they blew the brakes off them. Taylor had four rushing touchdowns on 185-yards and a receiving touchdown. A score of 41-15 was fully indictive of the beatdown. A lot has changed in three years however. The Bills defensive line is banged up and although they acquired some new talent, it is unclear how they will fare. As ESPN points out, the results have been a bit of a seesaw.
Against the Dolphins last week, the Bills defense allowed 149 rushing yards, the second-highest total of the season. The performance came after holding the Seahawks to 32 rushing yards the week prior.
The Bills’ rushing numbers are slanted somewhat by a rough performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4 — allowing 271 rush yards (eight yards per rush). Part of giving up rushing yards can come from how the team chooses to attack a specific opponent — with the Dolphins the Bills chose to concede some yards in the running game rather than bigger numbers through the air.
It looks like the Bills prefer a pick your poison approach to defense. I have a feeling I know which poison they are going to pick this week. Flacco is solid, but if I had the choice between shutting Taylor or Flacco down, especially given the last time these two teams played, I am choosing Taylor every time. Making the Colts one dimensional and forcing them into long yardage situations if the run game isn’t working, would be a recipe for success for the Bills. I anticipate they will load the box and make Flacco beat them through the air.
Can Jonathan Taylor shoulder more of the load on offense to make up for the lack of mobility at quarterback, or is the lack of mobility at quarterback a direct hit to Taylor’s production and truly inhibiting? I think both can be true. Things don’t necessarily get easier for Taylor with a stationary quarterback, but if Flacco can hit his throws and move the ball, the Bills won’t be able to focus as much on the run game, thus opening lanes up for Taylor. Hopefully, last week was just an anomaly and the offense can find its grove again. Otherwise, we could be looking at an inverse of the score from the last time these two teams met.
