Colts' Steichen Believes Jonathan Taylor's MVP Argument 'Validated'

Taylor continues to make a serious argument that he should be squarely in the MVP conversation after this fantastic showing to end the 2025 series with the Titans.

Following the game, head coach Shane Steichen was asked about his thoughts on Taylor's performance against the Titans. Needless to say, Steichen is proud of what his running back is doing in year six. Here's what the third year head coach had to say.

"It's impressive. It's hard to put into words, to be honest, because when you see the way he's running, the way the guys are blocking for him, I mean, it's special. It really is. And like I said, he's running hard.

He's running physical. Even when things aren't clean in there, he's finding ways to get three, four (yards) and then the 80-yard touchdown run - he hit that thing down the sidelines, and to stay in bounds, it was as impressive as it gets."

Through eight games, Taylor has put up torrid numbers, tallying 850 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, and two receiving scores. Indianapolis' offense runs through Taylor, and it's creating a monstrous attack that defenses are having immense issues slowing down.

During the game, the Colts crowd in Lucas Oil Stadium started chanting "MVP," which many believe Taylor should be in the conversation for. Steichen was asked if he heard this from the fans during the game.

Steichen's response was brief and vibrant.

"I did. Validated. Validated."

The last time that Taylor was playing at this level was in 2021, when he put up an impressive 1,811 rushing yards, 20 total touchdowns (18 rushing, two receiving), and 119 total first downs.

If Taylor plays all 17 games, he's on track to get 1,806 rushing yards, 26 rushing touchdowns, and four receiving scores. Taylor is fully on track for a third career Pro Bowl, a second First-Team All-Pro, and, perhaps, an MVP honor.

The Most Valuable Player award generally is reserved for a quarterback, but Taylor's 2025 season is so good that it's becoming undeniable to put him at or near the top of that conversation. Given how dominant he's been and how much he shoulders for Indy's offense, it's well-deserved.

We'll see how things shake out for Taylor as the 2025 season continues. Indianapolis' schedule gets more difficult going forward, but Taylor has shown that, regardless of the opponent, he's been nearly impossible to slow down.

Expect Taylor to continue to be leaned upon as the catalyst for Steichen's explosive offensive assault.