Jonathan Taylor Faces Historical Challenge to Avoid Sophomore Slump
By Peter Dewey
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor showed why he was worth a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft during his rookie season.
In 15 games (13 starts), the University of Wisconsin product rushed for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns, which puts him in good company for rookie rushing stats.
Of the 28 rookies to rush for 1,000 yards in their first season since 2000, only 13 of them reached that mark in their sophomore campaign. To go even further, only five players, Clinton Portis, Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Chris Johnson, and Domanick Williams (formerly Domanick Davis), actually surpassed their first year total in rushing yards in their second season.
What does that mean? Taylor is due to regress in Year 2. That’s not what Colts fans want to hear, but even with Carson Wentz under center, Taylor may not have another season where he averages nearly 80 rushing yards per game.
With the NFL going to a 17-game season, Taylor will have an extra contest to beat this trend, but don’t expect him to win an MVP award even if he does. Taylor is just +25000 on WynnBET’s odds list to win the league’s MVP. The last running back to win the award was Peterson back in 2012.
WynnBET has the Colts projected to win 10 games in 2021, but the under (-120) is favored to the over (+100). However, the Colts are projected to beat out the new-look Tennessee Titans in the AFC South, as they are the -110 favorites to take the division crown.
If Frank Reich can get the best out of Carson Wentz, Indianapolis is poised to succeed this year. The Colts could use another weapon on the outside, but if they intend to lean on Taylor, they could get by with their current receiving core.
Taylor will need to stay healthy in 2021 to avoid falling victim to the sophomore slump, but with Marlon Mack back in the mix and Nyheim Hines expected to have a role, don’t expect Taylor to make a major leap in his second season.