The Atlanta Falcons are preparing to face Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who currently leads the NFL in rushing yards. The two teams will meet at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday.
Taylor has accumulated 895 rushing yards this season and averages 99.4 yards per game. He is one of only two players with more than 800 rushing yards so far, alongside Buffalo Bills running back James Cook. Taylor’s average of 5.7 yards per carry ties him with Cook for the league lead, but his 12 rushing touchdowns are the most by any player this season. He has scored three touchdowns in three different games.
“He is a monster,” said Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris.
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich described Taylor as a versatile threat: “He’s a guy that is so explosive,” Ulbrich said. “He’s so fast. He has such elite vision. He has contact balance. They can block it for 5 (yards), and he can make it 25 (yards). So, he’s complete in every way.
“Plus, he’s a good receiver out of the backfield.”
Taylor averages 24.2 receiving yards per game and typically catches about three passes each week for an average of 8.1 yards per reception. His seven receiving touchdowns bring his total to a league-high 14 touchdowns from scrimmage this year.
In terms of overall production, Taylor’s 1,113 scrimmage yards place him third among all players this season, behind Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. For comparison, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ranks fifth with 1,058 scrimmage yards.
“It feels as though this is the first year I think that (Taylor) is really getting national attention,” Ulbrich added. “I think that’s probably a byproduct of the team.”
The Colts share the best record in the league with the New England Patriots at 7-2 as Week 10 approaches and have scored more points per game than any other team—32.2 on average—making them the only team averaging over 30 points per contest.
Indianapolis’ offense ranks second in passing yardage at nearly 258 yards per game and eighth in rushing at just over 125 yards per game.
“We’re very, very confident in the scheme we’ve got,” said Falcons defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus. “The game plan is very simple: Stick to what we know. Get off the ball… We got to go out there and stop the run.”
Atlanta’s defense currently ranks near the bottom of the league against opposing rushers—23rd overall—allowing an average of over 124 rushing yards each week. In Week 7 against San Francisco, they gave up their highest total so far: 174 rushing yards led by McCaffrey’s performance; however, opponents’ totals have declined since then.
Ulbrich noted improvements in his unit’s play despite losses to Miami and New England: “There was a high volume of runs, so whenever there’s that many runs against you, the yardage isn’t going to necessarily say that you’re making these improvements,” he said.”But I do believe we did.I thought we were firmer and more physical inside.”
The Colts drafted Taylor in the second round in 2020.He had his best year statistically in 2021 with over eighteen hundred rushing yards.Taylor has surpassed one thousand rushing yards three times during his career—a number he appears likely to reach again soon.
“Every time I’ve gone against him,” Ulbrich said,”he’s just given me nightmares.”
