The Arizona Cardinals won the quarterback battle Saturday, but the Indianapolis Colts won the game. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray completed 27 of 43 passing attempts for 245 yards and a touchdown without an interception and also rushed four times for 73 yards, while Indianapolis QB Carson Wentz completed 18 of 28 attempts for 225 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and rushed twice for four yards, but the Colts came out ahead 22-16 thanks largely to a strong ground game. And a lot of that was about running back Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor had been a key figure for the Colts all season, and someone even receiving some MVP talk. On Saturday, he collected 108 yards on 27 carries and was the most important part of the Indianapolis offense. And that was particularly notable with the Colts’ offensive line so reduced, missing three starters and five overall players due to COVID protocols, injuries, and personal leave. Here are some of Taylor’s highlights on the day:
Jonathan Taylor casually goes 47 yards on his very first touch of the game. 😤
(🎥: @NFL) pic.twitter.com/0eCcsaiA0T
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 26, 2021
The complete package 💪 @JayT23
📺: #INDvsAZ on @NFLNetwork
📱: https://t.co/WOTaxHv8uR pic.twitter.com/iAxsepongx— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1474941255020810241
Jonathan Taylor (43-yd run)
Taylor reached a top speed of 20.74 mph on this 43-yard run, the 6th time Taylor has reached a speed over 20 mph on a carry this season, most in the NFL.#INDvsARI | #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/OBggRA4JyG
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 26, 2021
Taylor now has 1,518 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 270 carries this season, and he’s a big part of why the Colts are 9-6. We’ll see what he can do in the weeks ahead.
[NFL.com; photo from Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via USA Today Sports]
