Takeaways from Colts' Thrilling Win Over Falcons

– A week after he was limited to only 45 yards, Jonathan Taylor would not be denied. The running back continued his incredible season, dominating the Falcons' defense for 244 yards on 32 carries (7.6 avg.) and three touchdowns, his fifth game of the season with three touchdowns. Taylor added 42 receiving yards to give him 286 total yards on the day.

Taylor made history on his second score of the afternoon , breaking a tie with Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James for the most rushing touchdowns in Colts' franchise history. The 83-yard run also tied the longest of Taylor's career and gave the Colts the lead in the fourth quarter. It came on a run that originally looked like it would be stopped for a loss, but Taylor stayed patient, bouncing it outside to get in the open field. That was all he needed.

The Colts' offense ran through Taylor on Sunday as the Falcons had no answer. Indy put the ball in Taylor's hands in overtime to finish that game, and he delivered once again. While the MVP has become a quarterback award since 2012, Taylor has as good a case as any and is more than deserving of the honor if he continues at this pace.

– Daniel Jones had another uneven performance against the Falcons' league-leading pass defense. The stat box shows Jones was fairly efficient, going 19-for-26 (73%) for 255 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Jones made some great throws throughout the afternoon, including a deep touchdown to Alec Pierce and a beautiful drop in the bucket to Tyler Warren.

However, ball security issues were a problem for Jones, yet again. He fumbled the football three times on the afternoon, including twice on the same drive. Jones was also sacked seven times on the afternoon, easily the most in a game for Jones this season.

Jones did enough for the Colts to come out on top and made key throws when it mattered. Credit needs to be given to the Falcons' secondary for their sticky coverage, forcing Jones to hold the ball longer than normal. But if there is one thing the Colts' quarterback needs to work on during the bye, it's ball security.

– Warren and Pierce led the way for the Colts' receivers on the day. Warren was a routine outlet for Jones, pulling in eight catches for a career-high 99 yards. The big tight end continued to rack up yards after the catch and hauled in a tough reception to put the Colts in scoring position during overtime.

Pierce stretched the field and came up with a few big first downs, hauling in four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. With the defense focused on eliminating Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, Warren and Pierce stepped up big time and made crucial plays throughout the game.

– The Colts' offensive line was much improved in the run game from a week ago. The unit did an excellent job moving the Falcons off the line of scrimmage and creating holes for Taylor's huge day. Pass protection was another story, as the Colts looked overwhelmed much of the afternoon by the Falcons' pressure packages. The pocket routinely collapsed on Jones quickly, leading to seven sacks. Holding up better in pass protection will be crucial to the Colts' success during the stretch run as they are set to face some of the best pass-rushing teams in the league.

DEFENSE

– All eyes were on how newly acquired cornerback Sauce Gardner would fare in his Colts' debut. Gardner matched up with Falcons' star wide receiver Drake London for most of the afternoon, which is no easy task. While London had a big game with six catches for 104 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion, Gardner only surrendered two catches for 26 yards and the two-point conversion to London in 17 times they were matched up with one another, per Next Gen Stats.

On the touchdown to London, Gardner made a mistake in coverage that left Germaine Pratt one-on-one with the talented receiver. However, Gardner came back with a near interception on a pass intended for London. There were both good and bad moments from Gardner's performance today. As Gardner becomes more acclimated to the scheme and the defense gets healthier, you can expect his performance to improve.

– The Colts were much stickier in coverage with Gardner in the secondary, and the results showed in the amount of pressure the defensive line was able to generate. Kwity Paye and Laiatu Latu were in the face of Michael Penix Jr. multiple times, forcing the quarterback to leave the pocket and throw before he was ready.

The Colts also had three sacks of Penix, including a forced fumble by Cam Bynum that led to Indy's first score of the day. If having Gardner in the secondary can give the Colts a half-second longer to rush, the defense will start to get home even more.

– One of the keys to stopping the Falcons was not allowing Bijan Robinson to take over the game. The Colts were able to limit Robinson's impact, allowing only 84 yards. However, Tyler Allgeier also had 57 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Run defense was where the absence of DeForest Buckner was felt the most, as the Colts surrendered 140 yards on the ground and a 4.8 yards per carry average. With Buckner on injured reserve, the Colts will need to do everything they can to shore up the middle of the defensive line.

– Zaire Franklin had a great game for the Colts in the middle. He led the team with 10 tackles and a sack on Penix. Franklin made numerous run stops and forced pressure on Penix, as the defensive captain was all over the field. Franklin playing at a high level in the middle will be crucial for the Colts while Buckner is out

SPECIAL TEAMS

– Michael Badgley had a first half to forget on Sunday. It started with a missed extra point on the Colts' first touchdown, followed by a 53-yard field goal attempt that was left short. Four points left on the field put the Colts in a 17-13 hole at one point.

But Badgley recovered nicely, connecting on all of his second-half attempts, including a 44-yard field goal to tie the game with 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. It was a solid rebound by Badgley, but his lack of strength on deep kicks is certainly something to monitor moving forward.

– Much like Badgley, it was a tale of two halves for the rest of the Colts' special teams unit. The first half was plagued by penalties and sloppy play, routinely giving the offense poor field position. The second half was a different story, as long returns by Ashton Dulin and Ameer Abdullah shortened the field for Indy and led to touchdowns. The success of the special teams unit in the second half may go under the radar, but it played a massive role in the Colts' victory.

BYE WEEK

– The Week 11 bye week comes at the perfect time for the Colts. At 8-2, the team has done a great job setting itself up for the stretch run to the playoffs. However, Indy faces a gauntlet to end the regular season.

The Colts' last seven games feature four divisional matchups (playing both the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars twice) and contests against three potential playoff teams in the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers. Steichen consistently preached that he wants the team to play its best ball in November and December, and the Colts will need to be at the top of their game for the home stretch.

– The bye week also gives the Colts a chance to get healthier before the toughest part of the season. While Buckner cannot return until Week 15 at the earliest, Charvarius Ward is expected back after the bye against the Chiefs. The extra time will be beneficial for Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis to heal their respective injuries and could help the duo not miss any more game action as well.

Ultimately, the bye week serves as a soft reset for the team. The NFL season is a grind, so players and coaches should take some time to rest and recharge. It won't get any easier, and the stakes will only get higher from here. But the Colts wouldn't want it any other way.