It is virtually undebatable that the Indianapolis Colts have been the biggest surprise of the 2025 NFL season. With no clear direction for the quarterback, it seemed like the franchise was doomed for failure this season. But giving Daniel Jones the starting job flipped a script for the franchise.
Going into Week 9, they held the best record in the league at 7-1. But the biggest reason for their success was unquestionably superstar running back Jonathan Taylor. Unfortunately, a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was when it seemed like his train finally slowed down.
What Happened to Jonathan Taylor?
Through the first half of the year, Taylor had been a one-man wrecking crew, tallying 850 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns at an absurd 5.9 yards per carry, leading to him being ranked second on PFSN’s RB Impact.
Equally effective as a pass catcher as well, he also added 206 yards and two touchdowns through the air, as he helped the Colts rank first on PFSN’s Offense Impact. But against the Steelers, as the team trailed 14-7 going into halftime, he had gone stone cold.
A non-factor in the passing game, he added just 23 rushing yards on eight carries for a minuscule 2.9 yards per carry. Even as the game became interesting in the fourth quarter, Taylor was never able to get going.
By the end of the night, he had just 45 rushing yards on 14 carries, while catching just two passes for 12 yards through the air. For the league leader in touchdowns, by a wide margin, the production from the former All-Pro was far from elite.
It led to the second loss of the season for the Colts, as their electric start came back down to earth. The bigger story of the game, though, had to be the performance from Daniel Jones.
Despite throwing for 342 yards and a touchdown, it was the three interceptions, equally his season total for the rest of the year, that ended up deciding the game. Even after the loss, Indianapolis remained in first place in the AFC South.
But their lead over the rest of the field in the standings was start to diminish, minimizing their hopes of holding on to the one-seed in the conference.