Is JT primed for OPOY?
By: Jake Rajala
Jonathan Taylor is playing like he’s from another planet. He leads the league in rushing yards (603) and rushing touchdowns (7). He’s also averaged 5.2 YPC in the process. PFF has given him a grade of 73.5, which is somewhat puzzling. Well, his team is 5-1 and leading the AFC South. With that said, a fascinating and pivotal question surrounds the well-rounded RB: Is he bound to win OPOY?
It’s more feasible for RBs to win OPOY than MVP. The last RB to win MVP was Adrian Peterson. Ball-carriers like Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey couldn’t even win MVP.
The last RB to win OPOY was Saquon Barkley, which came in last season. CMAC won the award in the season before that. Clearly, MVPs usually go to the QBs, while OPOY winners have recently gone to the RB spot.
A key reason that we haven’t seen all the crazy production from JT is that he’s suffered so many injuries. He only played in 14 games last season, 10 games before last season, and 11 games before that!
Taylor is averaging 100.5 rushing YPG. He’s on pace for 1,708 yards. Not quite 200k yards, but he should separate himself from the rest of the RBs. I would like to see him have a 200 yard rushing game. His single season high is 165, which came in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos.
According to DraftKings, JT has surpassed Puka Nacua to be the OPOY favorite. Of course, Puka was playing like a Hall of Famer before he was injured. I still believe that Ja’Marr Chase has a shot from the WR spot. Between today and last week, Chase has arguably played like the best WR. Nobody would have guessed that Joe Flacco would be Chase and the Browns savior.
According to PFF, the Colts have the number one OL in the league. This certainly helps JT. It’s hard to not be consistent when you have many elite pieces upfront. Quentin Nelson is the alpha of the OL. He’s been there for a long time, and he continues to get better.
JT should be first-team All-Pro if he continues on this pace at the very least. I think Colts Nation and I would like to see him climb the ladder and improve like an elite player does, as everything gets more competitive for winning the division and reaching the playoffs.
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