During the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 10 meeting with the Atlanta Falcons at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor reached a milestone that few NFL running backs ever achieve. Finishing the game with over 200 rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns, Taylor pushed his career rushing total past the 7,000-yard mark and his career touchdown total over 70—all before his 27th birthday.
Born on January 19, 1999, Taylor entered the day just shy of these milestones but left Berlin having crossed both thresholds. Joining an elite group, Taylor is now one of only a handful of players to have recorded 7,000+ rushing yards and 70+ touchdowns before turning 27. The other members of this exclusive club? Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, and LaDainian Tomlinson.
Taylor entered the international game with 6,908 career rushing yards and 70 total scrimmage touchdowns (63 rushing, seven receiving) accumulated over his first six seasons with the Colts. This season, he’s been enjoying a career year and one of the league’s most productive starts, carrying the ball 157 times for a league-leading 895 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns through nine games.
Sunday’s game brought another significant achievement: Taylor became the Colts’ all-time franchise leader with 65 career rushing touchdowns. The record-breaking play was an 83-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter—the longest touchdown run in franchise history.
Taylor’s recent surge has not only helped the Colts to a strong 7-2 start entering the Falcons game but has also positioned him as an early favorite for Offensive Player of the Year honors, and for some, even the league MVP award. The last running back to win NFL MVP was LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006, who rushed for 1,815 yards and set an NFL record with 28 rushing touchdowns that season.
For the Colts, Taylor’s consistency has been a key factor in stabilizing their offense as the team chases its first postseason appearance since 2020. Looking ahead, Indianapolis will have a Week 11 bye before facing a tough late-season stretch: at Kansas City on November 23, home against Houston on November 30, at Jacksonville on December 7, and at Seattle on December 14.
With two divisional games on the horizon and all four opponents still in playoff contention, this challenging stretch will be a true test for Jonathan Taylor and the Colts as they push toward the postseason.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/colts-rb-jonathan-taylor-joins-exclusive-nfl-list-on-sunday-11018196
