Michael Baca’s takeaways:
Taylor carries Colts past Falcons. Mired by protection woes, turnover tendencies and numerous third-down failures on Sunday, the Colts turned to their star running back to get them out of the muck of a performance destined to result in their first losing streak of the season. Jonathan Taylor delivered, producing 113 rushing yards in the fourth quarter and adding another 35 yards in overtime — including his 8-yard game-winning touchdown — to get Indianapolis back in the win column. It was a fitting ending for Taylor, who finished with a career-high 244 rushing yards while finding the end zone three times. In order to get to OT, J.T. produced the play of the game in the fourth quarter on a thrilling 83-yard TD run, which now stands as the longest rush this season. The Colts RB first appeared to be bottled up at the line of scrimmage before breaking out of a group of bodies, then dashing to his left and up the sideline with frustrated Falcons defenders left in his wake. The play instantly ended a frustrating stretch for a Colts team that hadn’t hit pay dirt since the opening quarter. In extra time, the Colts defense needed to stop the Falcons’ first possession, and Zaire Franklin came up big with a 2-yard tackle for loss and big sack on third down to force a punt. Tyler Warren delivered a big 23-yard reception to get the Colts into field-goal range, but it was Taylor that sealed the deal on the ground — which made him the Colts’ all-time leader in rushing TDs. Taylor, who added 42 receiving yards to his day, might have also jolted his case for an MVP season in the process. Falcons waste great pass-rushing effort. Atlanta’s pass rush wreaked havoc on the Colts, generating 16 pressures on 39 dropbacks to the tune of seven sacks while forcing two turnovers. It was an effort worthy of victory against the league’s top offense, but a lowly offensive showing ultimately prevented the Falcons from walking out of Berlin with an upset win. Michael Penix Jr. had a rough day through the air, completing only 42.9% of his passes (12 of 28 for 177 yards) while getting sacked three times and losing a fumble on one of those occasions. Any whiff of pressure had the Falcons’ second-year QB flushing out of the pocket, only to either throw it away or run for a menial gain. Even when he had time to throw, Penix struggled to consistently hit his targets in stride — his biggest miss coming in the first half when he underthrew Kyle Pitts for a sure TD. The Falcons produced 140 yards rushing at a healthy pace (4.8 yards per carry), allowing opportunity for the passing game to take advantage. Penix saw success when targeting Drake London, who caught Penix’s only TD pass and came up clutch on a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, but it was tough to connect elsewhere. The Colts recognized that in third-down situations by taking away London, and the Falcons failed to convert in all eight of those situations. While the Falcons defense wasn’t perfect — Jonathan Taylor rushed for 228 yards after contact — Penix picked a bad time to have a bad day. Issues on offense persist for Colts. Had it not been for Jonathan Taylor’s spectacular night in Berlin, it’s likely the Colts would have been taking the long flight home on a two-game skid. Daniel Jones was roughed up by the Falcons and Atlanta’s consistent pressures forced unnecessary mistakes, most notably his interception at the end of the first half. It could’ve been worse, too, as two of Jones’ three fumbles on the day were safely recovered by the Colts. Jones finished 19-of-26 passing for 255 yards with one TD and the pick, but despite better days seen through the air, the Colts QB gutted out the victory, evidenced by the bloody mouth he played with as he led a field-goal drive late in the fourth quarter to get the game into overtime. Jones’ 53 rushing yards (seven attempts) often came in big moments for a team that also struggled in key situations (2 of 12 on third down; 2 of 4 on fourth down). Indianapolis certainly has some things to work on, chief among them the protection, ball security and penalty issues. A Week 11 bye is an opportune time to do that as the Colts go into the final stretch of the season as legit contenders.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Falcons-Colts (via NFL Pro): Jonathan Taylor rushed for 228 yards after contact in Berlin, the only game since at least 2017 with more than 200. Taylor forced 11 missed tackles and gained 165 extra yards, the most by any player this season.
NFL Research: Jonathan Taylor joined Jim Brown, Adrian Peterson and Derrick Henry as the only RBs with multiple career games with 200-plus rushing yards and 3-plus rushing TDs. Taylor’s 286 scrimmage yards on Sunday are the most in a game by a player in Colts history, overtaking Marshall Faulk’s 267-yard game in Week 13, 1998.