In a performance that evoked memories of the NFL’s all-time greats, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor delivered a masterclass on Sunday, torching the Tennessee Titans for 174 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in a commanding 38-14 victory. The win improved the Colts to 7-1 on the season, but it was Taylor’s exploits that stole the show, propelling him into rarified air among the league’s touchdown kings.
Taylor, the 2020 2nd-round draft pick out of Wisconsin, wasted no time asserting dominance. On the game’s opening snap, he burst through the line for an 18-yard touchdown run, setting the tone for Indianapolis’ ground-and-pound attack. After a brief lull, Taylor exploded in the second half, capping a screen pass with a 19-yard receiving score and then breaking free for an 80-yard house call on a third-quarter carry. His stat line: 12 rushes for 153 yards and two scores, plus two receptions for 21 yards and another touchdown.
This wasn’t just another multi-score outing for Taylor—it’s becoming his signature. With these three touchdowns, he became the fifth player since 2000 to notch at least three scrimmage touchdowns in four games within a single season, a feat shared only by some of the era’s most explosive backs: LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006, Marshall Faulk in 2000, Shaun Alexander in 2005, and Priest Holmes in both 2002 and 2003. Tomlinson, the 2006 NFL MVP, racked up a record 31 touchdowns that year, blending rushing prowess with receiving wizardry much like Taylor has this fall. Faulk, the 2000 co-MVP, was the league’s ultimate dual-threat, while Alexander and Holmes each claimed Offensive Player of the Year honors in their touchdown-laden campaigns.
But Taylor’s afternoon transcended the modern era. In just 75 career games, he has now amassed at least 70 scrimmage touchdowns, slotting him as the sixth player ever to achieve that mark so early in his professional journey. He joins an elite pantheon: Jim Brown with 79, Tomlinson again with 79, Emmitt Smith with 72, Chuck Foreman with 71, and Todd Gurley with 71. Brown, the Cleveland Browns legend and three-time MVP, set the gold standard for dominance in the 1950s and ’60s. Smith, the Dallas Cowboys icon, holds the all-time rushing touchdown record at 164. Foreman terrorized defenses in the 1970s with the Minnesota Vikings, and Gurley, the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year, dazzled with the Los Angeles Rams before injuries curtailed his prime.
Taylor’s blistering pace is even more remarkable considering his injury-riddled 2022 and 2023 seasons, where ankle and thumb issues limited him to just 10 combined games. Back at full health in 2025, he’s a force: through eight games, Taylor has piled up 850 rushing yards on 143 carries (5.9 yards per attempt) with 12 rushing touchdowns, plus two receiving scores for 14 total. He’s found the end zone in every contest this year, including four games with three or more touchdowns—a clip that puts him on track to challenge Tomlinson’s single-season record.
Against the Titans specifically, Taylor has been a nightmare. His nine touchdowns over the last three meetings with Tennessee make him the first player in NFL history to score at least three touchdowns in three consecutive games against the same opponent. “He’s a game-changer,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said postgame, per team reports. “When JT gets the ball in space, good luck. We’re riding this wave.”
| Milestone | Jonathan Taylor (2025) | Comparable Greats |
|---|---|---|
| 3+ Scrimmage TDs in 4 Games (Since 2000) | 4 games | Tomlinson (2006), Faulk (2000), Alexander (2005), Holmes (2002, 2003) |
| 70+ Scrimmage TDs in First 75 Games | 70 TDs | Brown (79), Tomlinson (79), Smith (72), Foreman (71), Gurley (71) |
As the Colts solidify their perch atop the AFC South, Taylor’s MVP candidacy is no longer a whisper—it’s a roar. With nine games left, including winnable matchups against divisional foes, he could eclipse 2,000 yards from scrimmage and flirt with 20 touchdowns. In an offense buoyed by quarterback Daniel Jones’ two touchdown passes in the win, Taylor remains the heartbeat.
For a player once doubted amid contract holdouts and health woes, this renaissance feels like vindication. Taylor isn’t just chasing history; he’s authoring his own chapter, one thunderous run at a time.
