What transpired last weekend for Indianapolis Colts‘ running back Jonathan Taylor was arguably the worst moment of his career.
By now, everyone in the football world knows about Taylor’s boneheaded mistake of dropping the football at the half-yard line on what would have been a 41-yard touchdown to put the Colts up 20-7 over the Denver Broncos. Instead, the ball went through the back of the end zone for the touchback, sucking all of the momentum away from the Colts. The team could never recover.
Taylor was incredibly remorseful and apologetic after the game, but the mistake was one of the main catalysts for the Colts falling to 6-8 and putting their playoff hopes on life support. When asked if he had yet to process the play, Taylor had a simple answer.
While it may seem like Taylor is brushing off the play with that answer, it is actually the correct response. He cannot change what happened against the Broncos a week ago. What’s done is done.
By allowing the play to be his sole focus throughout the week, Taylor is not doing his job to help the team this week. The play was certainly a learning experience for the running back, one he vows will never happen again. But Taylor’s focus is now on the Tennessee Titans.
What the play has done for Taylor is bring about even more motivation to play well over the final three games of the season. For the Colts to even have a shot at making the playoffs, they have to win out. They cannot afford to drop any more games the rest of the way.
For the Colts to be at their best, Taylor must be at his. The Colts’ offense is much more dynamic when Taylor gets going on the ground. It keeps opposing defenses on their toes, and they cannot simply tee off on quarterback Anthony Richardson.
If Taylor can get rolling, the Colts will likely be the favorite in every game the rest of the season.
