Through a handful of games this season, we haven't seen Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts'running game generating the usual number of big plays that we've grown accustomed to seeing.
Taylor currently ranks tied for 29th in yards per rush, averaging just 3.9 yards per attempt. In PFF's breakaway rate metric, which measures how often a running back generates a rush of 15-plus yards, Taylor ranks 23rd. He was in the top 10 of that category in each of the two previous seasons.
Taylor has been a home run hitter throughout his career, but as Shane Steichen explained, with defenses loading the box against the Colts, it's been difficult to generate those big plays.
"With teams doing that, we gotta do a great job with the scheme going forward to
get him open in the run game because teams are stacking the box and if they're doing that, we gotta be great in the pass game too, whether that's play-action or dropback and win one-on-ones on the outside moving forward," Steichen said on Monday, via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan.
Jonathan Taylor has gone more than 570 snaps without a run over 25 yards.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) October 12, 2026
Home run hitting been such a part of his career (32 runs of at least 25 yards).
Titans are 4th in yards per carry allowed this year. pic.twitter.com/vF7yRfRNvT
Left guard Quenton Nelson expects more from the Colts' running game after Indianapolis was bottled up in Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.
That said, the Colts' issues in the passing game aren't helping the run game either. Without a steady downfield threat in Alec Pierce's absence, defenses aren't all that afraid of getting beat over the top, which allows them to play more aggressively by shrinking the field with more defenders near the line of scrimmage.
It's a tough spot that the Colts' offense finds itself in right now. The lack of a productive run game puts more stress on the passing game, and the passing game struggles, in turn, makes moving the ball on the ground more difficult.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts big play run game with quiet start to season
