It's been an uncharacteristically slow start to the season forIndianapolis Colts' running back Jonathan Taylor, and ESPN's Seth Walder doesn't expect that to improve this week against the Titans.
After five games, Taylor ranks tied for 29th in yards per carry, averaging only 3.9 yards per attempt. While he is known for his home run ability with the ball in his hands, Taylor ranks just 23rd in PFF's breakaway rate metric, which measures how often a running back generates a rush of 15-plus yards.
Up next for Taylor and the Colts' run game is a matchup with Tennessee, which has one of the more stingy run defense units in football, allowing only 3.5 yards per rush on the year.
Walder believes that the Titans' front seven will be able to bottle up Taylor.
"Taylor will be held to under 3.0 yards per carry ... albeit in a Colts victory. One of the only bright spots for the Titans this season is that they are holding opponents to just 3.5 yards per carry. That number drops to 3.1 against outside zone, which the Colts run 49% of the time."
Not helping Taylor or the run game is the Colts' struggle to generate big plays in the passing game. Without a steady vertical presence, defenses can shrink the field and play closer to the line of scrimmage. As Shane Steichen noted after the Pittsburgh game, Taylor is facing a lot of heavy boxes.
Taylor and the run game have often been what makes this Colts' offense go, so until that improves, moving the ball consistently may not come easily.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: ESPN predicts Titans slow Colts' RB Jonathan Taylor
