INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has more rushing yards than anybody else in the NFL. That was the case entering last week's matchup with the Tennessee Titans, and it's still the case following Taylor's 102-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 41-20 win on Sunday.
So, then, why would the Titans' defense allocate so few resources to stopping Taylor, the league's current leading rusher, and someone who ran for 218 yards and scored three more touchdowns against Tennessee just nine months ago?
Taylor faced a stacked box (eight-plus defenders in the box) on just 5.88% of his 17 carries on Sunday, according to Zebra Technologies and NFL Next Gen Stats. That was the lowest rate of stacked boxes faced among all ball carriers in the NFL in Week 3. For reference, five ball carriers faced stacked boxes on at least 40% of their carries. Taylor himself faced eight-plus defenders at a 16.67% rate in Week 1 and 24% in Week 2.
The logic behind defenses loading up in the box is to either crowd the running lanes or create a mismatch, having more defenders ready to stop the run than there are blockers available to control them. Not only do the Colts have an offensive line performing at an elite level, but players such as Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., and Alec Pierce have also been standout blockers. You almost have to load the box against Taylor and the Colts.
Perhaps the reason the Titans elected not to use their resources to defend Taylor is that they were more worried about the Colts' passing game, led by quarterback Daniel Jones. The seventh-year vet is completing 71.6% of his passes, averaging 272 passing yards per game and 9.3 yards per pass attempt, and has eclipsed a passer rating of 100.0 in all three games. He ranks among the top five in the NFL in each of those categories.
What this approach by the Titans shows is that, how this Colts offense is currently performing — averaging 418.7 yards and 34.4 points per game — no matter how teams pick their poison, it can come back to bite them.
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.