The National Football League’s Most Valuable Player Award tends go to a great player on a really good team. So, while the Indianapolis Colts could have a player or two worthy of winning MVP, it’s the “winning team” part that will likely end up being the road block.
Pro Football Network recently released every team’s most likely MVP candidate and it’s no surprise that they identified running back Jonathan Taylor as the Colts’ best chance to win the award.
“The Indianapolis Colts’ offense was inconsistent last year, ranking 21st in both EPA per play and Offense+. A big reason was poor quarterback play,” PFN writes. “Anthony Richardson enters Year 3 still looking to prove he’s a reliable starter — and stay healthy. Whether it’s him or Daniel Jones under center, expect Indianapolis to rely on the run game, led by All-Pro back Taylor.”
It makes sense, as Taylor has had some monster seasons. Last year, Taylor ran for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 18 catches for another TD. These are very impressive numbers for sure, but did many people notice unless he was on their fantasy football team? Not really, it was a quiet stellar season if that’s possible.
If a running back was going to win the award it would have been Saquon Barkley from the Philadelphia Eagles, who went over 2,000 yards and was gang busters on the way to a Super Bowl title.
PFN notes that some of Taylor’s numbers are comparable to Barkley’s.
“Taylor tied Barkley for most carries per game (21.6) and logged 303 carries for 1,431 yards and 11 scores,” PFN writes. “He averaged 2.8 yards before contact and forced 15 missed tackles.”
Who else would have a chance to win on the Colts?
Here’s the problem for the Colts in 2025: They really don’t have anyone else that’s capable of winning an NFL MVP. And that’s a team problem, not an MVP Award problem. It means they aren’t very good. Indy was 8-9 last season and based on the poor quarterback play – which largely falls on Anthony Richardson as an 11-game starter – it was a little impressive that they won that many games.
Unless someone can foresee a world in which Richardson puts it all together and magically throws for 4,000+ yards and 40 TDs on the way to a 14-win season, there isn’t another MVP candidate on this roster. The award is heavily slanted towards stud quarterbacks on winning teams. Neither of those things is happening with the Colts.
The other option would be a Colts defender having such a dominant year that he can’t be ignored for MVP candidacy. And how about rookie tight end Tyler Warren? He could burst onto the scene and set all sorts of records. Do not put a single dollar on either of those things unless you’re dying to text your friends and say, “hey, guess what I just did?!”
Taylor has had an MVP-worthy season in the past
In 2021, following a very strong rookie year, Taylor had an MVP-caliber season. His performance would have been impressive in 1986, but it stands out even more in today’s NFL where the passing game is king. He toted the rock 332 times for 1,811 and 18 touchdowns while catching 40 balls for 360 yards and two more TDs.
That is one hell of a season by any stretch, but there was one problem. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went off too. He threw for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four (!) interceptions before bottoming out in the first round of the playoffs. The big differences between Rodgers and Taylor? The Packers were 13-3 and Rodgers is a quarterback, so there you go.
But, maybe Taylor can make it happen in 2025. The offensive line won’t be great, but he’ll certainly have plenty of opportunities with their two mediocre-at-best signal callers.
“The Colts lost two starting linemen this offseason, which could make things tougher for Taylor,” PFN concludes. “But the workload will be there. The big question is whether Indy can stay competitive.”
And there is the final answer. If the Colts don’t win a decent amount of games and make the playoffs, this conversation is moot.
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