Is Jonathan Taylor now in contention for NFL MVP?

The Buffalo Bills came into the game against the Indianapolis Colts as the top-ranked defense, but Jonathan Taylor went and promptly shredded them to pieces. By the time he was done, he had broken the Colts franchise record for the number of touchdowns in a game. Such a performance, and his cumulative stats, of course make Jonathan Taylor a candidate for NFL MVP. We look at Taylor's performance in the game against the Bills along with his other 2021 season performances.

Jonathan Taylor against the Buffalo Bills

Jonathan Taylor came up with a timeless performance against the Buffalo Bills. He scored five touchdowns, out of which four were rushing and one was receiving. In the process, he gained 204 yards on 32 carries.

To put it into context, Jonathan Taylor became only the thirteenth player ever to score five touchdowns in one game. It was also a franchise record for the most touchdowns in a single game for the Colts.

Jonathan Taylor in the 2021 season

But a swallow does not a summer make, and one game can be an aberration. The reason Jonathan Taylor must feature in the NFL MVP consideration is because he has been putting up such performances game upon game this season.

Consider his stats for the entire season. He entered this week as the stats leader in rushing with 937 yards. The tally was tied with Derrick Henry (even though Taylor has played a couple more games). But even with the two extra games, Taylor has had only 161 carries compared to 219 carries for Henry. Among those with more than 150 carries or more, Jonathan Taylor is the only one with more than 5.5 yards per attempt, with him averaging 5.8 yards per attempt.

Taylor has provided remarkable consistency in output this season. It is not as if his numbers are padded by a single game. In the process, he has joined LaDainian Tomlinson as the only other rushing back in NFL history to have scored a touchdown and to have had 100 yards from scrimmage in eight consecutive games.

But beyond the stats, there are some things that numbers cannot explain. While the raw data will show how impressive Jonathan Taylor was today, most people might overlook the fact that the Buffalo Bills were allowing less than 100 yards per game total in rushing. That Taylor alone had 200 yards per game against such an elite defensive unit is nothing short of miraculous.

Jonathan Taylor also features firmly in the NFL MVP conversation because of the impact he has had on his team. Without him, the Colts are at best a middling unit. Thanks to Taylor's impact on the game, he has now dragged them to a potential wild card playoff spot in the next round. While the conversation around the Colts has dragged around their quarterback position and whether Carson Wentz is up to the job, it is perhaps not an exaggeration to say that the running back position has been the most important for the Colts.

That brings us to our next point. Generally, quarterbacks and running backs are mostly in conversation for the NFL MVP award, and the reason it looks as if 2021 might be Jonathan Taylor's year is because no quarterback has looked likely to run away with the MVP award.

Tom Brady has had two consecutive losses, Aaron Rodgers just lost to the Minnesota Vikings, and Patrick Mahomes has definitely not been up to his usual standards. So, there is a higher chance that this year a running back will take the accolade. Looking at the stats, there is no denying that Jonathan Taylor tops the list.

We are aware that hyping someone up may not be the wisest decision at the moment. But considering there has been so much focus on other players, Jonathan Taylor has slipped under the radar. After his latest performance, we can be sure that he will not be forgotten.