Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor didn’t have just one of the most “remarkable rushes” in 2024, but he had three of them.
So, what makes a carry a remarkable rush?
This is a metric by NFL Next Gen Stats that with machine learning and tracking data, predicts at handoff how many yards a ball carrier should pick up based on how the offensive line is positioned relative to the defenders.
The “remarkable rushes” are those where the ball carrier “greatly defies expectations” by picking up way more yards than what was expected.
On this list, which measures every carry by every running back over the course of the entire season, Taylor showed up three-times within the top 20.
Taylor’s first appearance came at No. 13 with 61 rushing yards over expected in the Colts Week 16 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
He then also came in at No. 14 on this list with 59 rushing yards over expected on another carry that came against Tennessee in that same Week 16 game.
This, of course, was the matchup where Taylor totaled 218 rushing yards in that game. This was the second-highest single-game rushing total of Taylor’s career and the Colts also set a new franchise record with 335 team rushing yards.
Then, in addition to being No. 13 and 14 on this list, Taylor also appeared at No. 18 after he had 54 rushing yards over expected on a Week 10 run against the Buffalo Bills.
When it was all said and done, this was Taylor’s most productive season since 2021. He rushed for 1,431 yards at 4.7 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns, according to PFF.
Compared to the rest of the NFL, Taylor ranked sixth in yards, 11th in yards per rush, and was eighth in rushes of 10-plus yards.