Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor runs to the winning touchdown during the NFL match between Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany on November 9, 2025. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Jonathan Taylor has firmly placed himself at the center of the NFL MVP discussion, and at this point in the season, his production has not only separated him from his peers, but it’s placed him on the type of pace that historically ends with hardware.
Running backs rarely win Most Valuable Player in today’s league. The last was Adrian Peterson in 2012, and before that it was LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006 and Shaun Alexander in 2005 after both had record-breaking seasons for rushing touchdowns. Since then, it’s been nothing but an award for quarterbacks. Even when running backs win other awards like Offensive Player of the year, which Christian McCaffrey won in 2023, they still miss out on the MVP trophy.
It feels like to be viewed as a serious contender for the award in the current landscape, you have to deliver a season that wasn’t just great, but undeniably dominant.
And so far, that’s exactly what Taylor has been doing for the Indianapolis Colts.
Jonathan Taylor: Leading the 2025 NFL MVP Race
Through 10 games, Taylor leads the NFL with 1,139 yards rushing. That’s over 200 yards more than the next-closest player, Bills’ star James Cook. He also leads the league with 15 rushing touchdowns, five more than Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs. Those numbers alone are good enough to strengthen any MVP case, but they only scratch the surface of his impact.
Taylor’s ability to create explosive plays has fueled much of his, and his team’s, success this season. He’s tied for the NFL lead with eight runs of 20-plus yards and leads outright with four runs of 40-plus and three of 60-plus. Even his 83-yard run against Atlanta in Berlin is the longest run of the season in the league. That play alone shows what defenses are finding trouble containing: acceleration, sharp vision, and the ability to turn almost any play into a game-changing moment.
But Taylor’s success isn’t built only on highlights. He has been arguably the league’s most consistent chain-mover. His 58 first-down runs are 14 more than any other player, and 30.7% of his carries have resulted in a first down—the highest rate among running backs with at least 75 attempts as of Nov. 9. Nearly one in every three times the Colts hand Taylor the ball, they move the sticks. For a team leaning on physical, clock-controlling football, that reliability has been invaluable.
His play this season also has him on the doorstep of NFL history. After Sunday’s game that pushed the Colts to 8-2, Taylor now has four games with at least three rushing touchdowns. He’s just one shy of tying Tomlinson’s record of five such games that was set during his MVP season. Taylor’s current projections have him on pace for 1,936 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, which would fall short of Tomlinson’s numbers from 2006.
BERLIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 09: A. J. Terrell of Atlanta Falcons falls to the floor as Jonathan Taylor of Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball before scoring a touchdown uring the NFL 2025 game between Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts at Olympiastadion on November 09, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
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Taylor’s Production Is Key To Colts’ Success
The difference between this year and a season from 19 years ago, however, is how teams play. In 2006, teams rushed the ball a lot more with eight teams averaging over 30 rushing attempts per game. Fast forward to 2025, and only one team, the Buffalo Bills, average more than 30. It’s a passing league, and a running back has been statistically dominating all categories. For Taylor to lead the conversation requires a level of dominance that overshadows not just elite running backs, but elite quarterbacks as well.
What strengthens his case isn’t just the numbers, but how essential they are to Indianapolis’ success. The Colts’ identity leans heavily on Taylor’s ability to control a game. His production has opened lanes for Daniel Jones and the passing offense, kept Indianapolis ahead of the sticks, and allowed the Colts to dictate tempo against teams with stout defenses like Denver and the Los Angeles Rams.
Still, Taylor will be tested quite a bit over the final seven games. The Colts have four games against two of the top six run defenses in the league in Jacksonville and Houston. They also have to deal with San Francisco, Seattle, and Kansas City. These are games that not only affect the playoff race for everyone involved but will bring national attention along with it.
If Taylor continues at his current pace, he won’t just be in the MVP conversation, he may become the standard against which the field is judged. The combination of volume, efficiency, consistency, and explosiveness has rewritten the expectations for the position this year. And if the Colts finish strong, the case for Taylor won’t be built on sentiment or novelty. It will be built on performance difficult for anyone to match.
A running back earning MVP in this era would be a rarity. Taylor is working to make it a reality.