INDIANAPOLIS – There wasn’t a second of hesitation from someone who only needs a split-second to do something special.
Would it mean something to win MVP?
“Of course,’’ Jonathan Taylor said Thursday.
There was a brief pause, then laughter because of the brevity – the of course it would – of his response.
But the thought of Taylor earning arguably the most cherished on-field individual award this season is no laughing matter.
He’s been the scintillating catalyst as the Indianapolis Colts have gotten off to an NFL-best 7-1 start heading into Sunday’s road test at Pittsburgh.
Whether Taylor’s supernova start to his sixth season explodes into the Colts’ first MVP since the fourth of Peyton Manning’s record five in 2009, clearly will be determined over the final two-plus months of the season.
An unofficial midseason vote was cast for Taylor on the Dan Patrick Show.
“Jonathan Taylor is the Most Valuable Player right now in the NFL,’’ Patrick said.
Oddsmakers don’t agree. At all.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the top five candidates are quarterbacks: Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, New England’s Drake Maye, the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and Green Bay’s Jordan Love.
Taylor checks in at No. 6.
That flies in the face of his bottom line through eight games:
*Leading the league in rushing attempts (143), rushing yards (850) and total yards from scrimmage (1,056).
*Leading the league in rushing touchdowns (12), total TDs (14) and points (86). He has more offensive TDs than five teams – Cleveland (13), Atlanta (12), New Orleans (11), Las Vegas (10) and the Tennessee Titans (8) – and as many as Houston.
*Became the first player in club history with three games with three rushing TDs in a season.
*Pushed his career rushing TD total to 63, tying Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for second-most in team history and nestling up to record-holder and Hall of Famer Edgerrin James (64). Taylor has appeared in 75 games; Moore 143 and James 96.
Thursday, Taylor was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month. During the four-game October stretch, he rushed 66 times for 436 yards (6.6 per attempt) and nine TDs and added 12 receptions for 93 yards and another TD.
The last time Taylor was singled out for the monthly award: October and November in 2021. That’s when he led the NFL with a franchise-record 1,811 rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage (2,171) and piled up 20 total TDs.
That year, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won his fourth MVP. Taylor finished second to the Rams’ Cooper Kupp for Offensive Player of the Year.
Michael Pittman Jr. has long endorsed Taylor for every honor possible. They were second-round draftmates in 2020; Pittman was taken at No. 34 and Taylor at 41.
“If JT keeps doing the things he’s doing, I can’t see why he won’t be strongly considered,’’ Pittman said Thursday. “As long as we’re being fair to all players – quarterbacks and non-quarterbacks – I think that he is right at the top for that.’’
History doesn’t favor Taylor. History leans heavily toward quarterbacks in MVP consideration.
Of the 66 total MVPs, 47 have been quarterbacks (71%), including 12 straight.
The last non-quarterback selected was Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. Prior to that, it was San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006 and Seattle’s Shaun Alexander in 2005.
Taylor would be the 17th running back to be named MVP.
“You just have to do enough,” he said. “Whatever that is, you just let the chips fall where they may.
“But if you do enough like the guys in the past, they won it.’’
Peterson led the NFL with 2,097 yards and 13 TDs. Tomlinson rushed for a franchise-record 1,815 yards and set NFL records with 31 TDs and 186 points.
Taylor realizes if he’s able to break the QB streak, he would join an elite group that includes Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, Thurman Thomas, Earl Campbell and Jim Brown.
“For sure,’’ he said. “Those are legends. Those are guys who set the path for us.
“We’re just trying to follow along their footsteps to create a new path to finish it for the guys behind us to take it to new heights.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.