Following a road loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Indianapolis Colts will head home to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. The Colts haven’t played the Bills since Week 11 of the 2021 season in Buffalo. Indy won that contest 41-15 as their star running back Jonathan Taylor had one of the best games of his career.
The Colts smoked the Bills three years ago. However, they’re not expected to win the upcoming matchup this season. Buffalo is currently a 4.5-point favorite. But will Jonathan Taylor come through like he did in 2021 and lead Indy to a victory?
Colts’ Jonathan Taylor Could Have Another Dominant Performance vs. Bills
Remembering His Five-Touchdown Effort Against Buffalo
Jonathan Taylor was at his best during the 2021 campaign. He led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns that year. He also caught 40 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he finished as a finalist for the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award but lost to Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams.
During the huge 26-point win over the Bills, Taylor was nothing less than spectacular. He scored three times in the first half as the Colts built a 24-7 lead. Taylor wound up rushing for 185 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 19 yards and a score.
Jonathan Taylor tied Eric Dickerson and Joseph Addai (four) for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game in Colts history. He also became the first player in NFL history to record 175-plus rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown in a game.
The Colts Will Need MVP-Caliber JT in the Lineup
After playing all 17 games in 2021, Jonathan Taylor has battled injuries over the past few years. He has missed three games this season with a high ankle sprain.
When healthy, though, Taylor is certainly one of the league’s top running backs. The Colts will need him at his best if they want to beat the Bills in Week 10.
Taylor struggled during the recent loss to the Vikings. The former Wisconsin Badger lost a fumble on the opening drive that was recovered by Harrison Smith. Taylor finished with 13 carries for only 48 yards. He also had three catches for 11 yards in the 21-13 loss.
Again, Indianapolis will need a 2021-like effort from Taylor to beat Buffalo. They’ll need better quarterback play from Joe Flacco as well. Flacco, of course, recently replaced the benched Anthony Richardson as the Colts’ starting signal-caller. Flacco wasn’t very great against the Vikings. The veteran threw just 179 yards as Indianapolis failed to score an offensive touchdown the entire game.
While Buffalo’s defense plays the pass well, it’s not strong against the run. The Bills are allowing 4.8 rushing yards per game (seventh-worst in the league). They’ve given up 35 runs of at least 10 yards this season. With that said Jonathan Taylor is primed for a big-time game.
The 7-2 Bills are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, led by MVP candidate Josh Allen. We’ll see if Jonathan Taylor and the 4-5 Colts can muster up a much-needed upset victory.
Main Photo: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
