Switch in coaches has put Colts RB Jonathan Taylor in Steelers' crosshairs

Judging by Jeff Saturday’s resume as a six-time Pro Bowl center, Mike Tomlin anticipates the Indianapolis Colts interim coach relying heavily on the running game when his team faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

Tomlin wouldn’t be wrong.

“We want to be a physical football team that sets the tone and the tempo from running the football,” Saturday said earlier this week. “I’ll take ‘28’ against just about anybody.”

That number belongs the Jonathan Taylor, the Colts’ third-year running back who led the NFL in rushing in 2021.

Dogged by an ankle injury for part of this season, Taylor has missed three of the Colts’ 11 games. But since Saturday, who had no prior coaching experience on the professional or college level, was hired Nov. 7 to replace Frank Reich, Taylor has resumed his role as the proverbial bell cow of the Colts offense.

Taylor carried 22 times for 147 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s debut win against the Las Vegas Raiders. And he carried another 22 times for 84 yards and a score in a last-minute 17-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Those represented the most rushing attempts for Taylor since the season opener, and he had just one touchdown for the season prior to Saturday’s hiring.

Tomlin expects more of the same when the 3-7 Steelers face the 4-6-1 Colts on Monday Night Football.

“We’ve got to minimize his impact on the game,” Tomlin said. “We can’t allow them to be on schedule and minimize possession-down football via an effective running game.”

In eight games, Taylor has rushed for 693 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He ranks No. 13 in the NFL in rushing, which represents a respectable season but doesn’t come close to matching what he did in his second year with the Colts.

In 2021, Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also led the league in carries and was second to the Steelers’ Najee Harris with 372 touches.

“We respect his talents and his resume, what he’s been able to do and put together,” Tomlin said. “We believe quality play for them centers around his exploits and what he’s able to do.”

At his weekly press conference this week, Tomlin incorrectly stated the Steelers never have seen what Taylor can do “in a stadium.” He forgot about the 2020 covid-interrupted season when the Steelers faced the Colts in Week 16 and pulled out a 28-24 victory that was their only win in the final five games of the season.

Taylor rushed for 74 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns that day.

“He’s a home-run hitter and hits the hole hard,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “Any crease he gets, he can take off.”

Inside linebacker Myles Jack learned first-hand in the final game of the 2020 season when he played for Jacksonville. A week after his only appearance against the Steelers, Taylor shredded the Jaguars for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

“It got ugly,” Jack said. “He put it on us. The synchronization that he has with his offensive line is very good. When he gets in the open field, I don’t know too many people who are going to catch him. He’s a very fast, great running back.”

As the Steelers prepare to face Taylor and the Colts, they are perhaps better equipped to stop the run than at any point this season. A week after holding the New Orleans Saints to 29 rushing yards, they gave up only 62 yards on the ground to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, it came at the expense of failing to contain backup running back Samaje Perine in the passing game. Three of his four receptions went for touchdowns in the Bengals’ 37-30 victory.

For his part, Taylor has 40 catches for 360 yards and two touchdowns this season.

“It has to be all hands on deck,” Jack said. “He’s one of those guys who you cannot let him get going. But if you get him in the backfield and moving back and forth trying to find a hole, it will be a better day. If he’s hitting the hole at full speed — (that’s how he can get) 253.”