Jonathan Taylor had too many touchdowns on Sunday to pick an outright favorite from his historic day.
The Colts running back scored five touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) in the Colts' 41-15 statement win over the Buffalo Bills and happily punted on an answer.
"They were all my favorite," Taylor said after the game. "Any time you get in the end zone it's a good day."
Becoming the first Colts player to ever score five TDs in one game, Taylor rushed for a season-high 185 yards and added three catches for 19 yards to his tremendous performance. Per ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch, he's the fifth player with 200-plus scrimmage yards and five-plus scrimmage TDs in a single game in the Super Bowl era, joining the likes of Jamaal Charles, Clinton Portis, Shaun Alexander and Jerry Rice.
While Taylor's numbers were impressive, whom he did it against makes his accomplishments all that more extraordinary.
Entering Sunday, the Bills defense allowed the fewest total yards and points per game than any team in the NFL. Buffalo had also given up just five total touchdowns to running backs all season until facing Taylor, who doubled that total on Sunday.
"The offensive line and I prepared tremendously throughout this week," Taylor said in the CBS postgame interview. "We knew it was going to be a tough challenge ... We had to accept that challenge. That's what we had to do coming into this game and that was half the battle."
By virtue of their stellar second-year RB, Indy's offensive line has helped boast an average of 147.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks fourth in the league. With plenty of two-tight end sets in coach Frank Reich's offense, the Colts are engineered be a running threat at all times and the offense is enjoying the manifestation of their blocking.
Said TE Mo Alie-Cox: "One play at the goal line I'm blocking and I turn my head and see him fly through the air like a f------ super hero."
In 11 games played, Taylor has 1,122 rushing yards (5.8 YPC) with 13 TDs on the ground and adds 32 receptions for 322 yards (two receiving TDs) to his breakout campaign. Taylor now leads the league in both rushing and TDs entering Week 12, and the 22-year-old not only understands the magnitude of what that means but what it takes to maintain that distinction through an entire season.
"Yeah, definitely, but it's a prove-it league," Taylor said. "You can go out there next week and stink it up, so you have to stay focused."
