Jonathan Taylor — Week 4: Two Touchdowns From the Five

20 to 13, Colts, 14 21 left in the fourth quarter against the Commanders, second and four at the Washington 36. Jonathan Taylor went left guard for 12 yards to the 24. +1.0 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 3.7 points of win probability, the chance of winning after the play against before it, his biggest gain of the day by that measure. He had gone for six on the snap before, and on the next one he went right tackle for 12 more, out of bounds at the 12. Three snaps later Daniel Jones ran it in from the four, and it was 27 to 13. That drive was nine snaps, seven of them runs, and Taylor had six.

Both of his touchdowns came from the five. The first was third and two with three 29 left in the first half, Colts down six to nothing, an extra lineman reported as eligible: left end, touchdown, and the extra point put Indianapolis ahead for good. The second came early in the third quarter, on a short field after an interception, the snap after Laquon Treadwell's catch on third and six put the Colts at the five: right tackle, touchdown, 17 to six.

The line: 20 carries, 95 yards, two touchdowns, six first downs, 11 of the 20 successful, +3.6 expected points on the carries; four targets, one catch, two yards, −2.1. The carries went three, six, four, seven, one, two, five, four, four, five, 10, one, two, four, five, six, 12, 12, one and one. Eight before halftime for 32 yards, 12 after for 63. The last was third and two at the Washington 27, one yard and short, and Spencer Shrader kicked the field goal that made it 30 to 13. None of the four targets traveled more than a yard past the line.

He had 20 of the Colts' 28 designed runs. Seth McGowan had six, including the fourth-and-one conversion near midfield in the second quarter, and Jones two.

Back in June the preview's read on Taylor was a workhorse deployment, with a warning that the carries were the durable part and not last season's touchdowns. Week 3 was 23 carries and none of them a touchdown. Sunday the carries held at 20 and the touchdowns came back, two of them, both from the five. 4.8 yards a carry, after 3.9 over the first three weeks. Four games: 86 carries, 353 yards, six touchdowns.

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_Data via nflverse._