Shane Steichen is leading the Colts to a historical 2025 season, and it starts with their running attack.
Before Shane Steichen ever coached a game with the Colts, he made his philosophy abundantly clear. He wants to throw to score points and run to win. This philosophy is coming into full force with Daniel Jones playing at a high level, rookie Tyler Warren is leading all tight ends in total yards, and Michael Pittman Jr. is having a career start to the season. Needless to say, the bulk of the supporting cast on offense is playing at an all-time high. However, one guy in particular is playing at an MVP-like high and that is Jonathan Taylor.
Heading into this season, there was a lot of optimism surrounding Taylor. He had a very productive 2024 campaign, which was a bounce-back from 2022-2023, as these were years littered with injuries. The Colts knew that in order to get back to the playoffs, win the division, win in the playoffs, and win a Super Bowl, they would need to rely on Taylor. Through eight games, Taylor has proven that he can be that reliable playmaker to take them all the way. The issue is whether he can stay healthy and sustain this historical start to the season.
Jonathan Taylor’s Statistics Speak for Themselves
One of the determining factors for an MVP candidate is statistics. Taylor is already proving that his stats outshine them all. He leads the league in rushing yards with 850, total touchdowns with 14, and evaded tackles with 55. He is also second in breakaway runs with 9, and is second in yards per touch with 6.3. On top of his tremendous skill as a runner, he is also affective in the passing game. With his 850 rushing yards, he also has 206 receiving yards.
The last time the NFL awarded league MVP to a running back was in 2012 with Adrian Peterson. In that year, Peterson ran for over 2,000 yards, had 12 rushing touchdowns, 88 first downs, averaged 131 yards per game, and had over 2,300 total scrimmage yards. Peterson played in 16 games during that season and in just eight games, Taylor is already on track to eclipse some of these statistics. Through eight games, Taylor already has 12 rushing touchdowns. He is also on pace to have well over 2,000 scrimmage yards as his production in the passing game might put him neck and neck with Peterson. Taylor is way more productive in that department as Peterson finished the year with 217 receiving yards and Taylor already has 206.
Jonathan Taylor is the Most Explosive Player in the NFL
Through these first eight weeks, there is not another player who is as productive as Jonathan Taylor. Even across the quarterbacks, no one really stands out. Drake Maye has been playing at a high level, but isn’t standing out (in terms of stats) amongst other QBs. Overall, Maye should be in consideration, but he is not playing at an explosive level like Taylor is.
Defensive players are tough to pinpoint as a sole MVP candidate. Many guys across the league are playing at high levels like Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett. However, no one is clearly playing above the rest. Through eight weeks, it is clear that Jonathan Taylor is the best running back in the NFL, and with how dominant he has been, there is a very strong case that he is the best player in the NFL and overall, the most valuable player in the NFL.
Regardless of how the year ends, through the first half of the season, Jonathan Taylor is playing like he is the league’s MVP. If he continues with this level of production, the evidence is clear. The NFL will get another running back to win the league’s most prestigious award.
The Lucky Colt 
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