LONDON -- There was once a time in Jonathan Taylor's life when the big crowds used to be a lot smaller. Back when Taylor was a star at Salem High School in New Jersey and his varsity team had only roughly 35 players.
"We used to play on Thanksgiving day every year," said Taylor, who reflected on his high school Turkey Bowl two days before the Indianapolis Colts faced the Washington Commanders in London. "My senior year, it was 1,000 people there and that was the largest crowd I've ever been in and played in."
On Sunday, he played in front of 60,907 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and led the Colts to a 30-13 victory.
"It's always a point of emphasis for me to show people back home in Salem, New Jersey, that the sky is the limit and it can be in any avenue," Taylor said after lifting the Colts to their second straight win this season and third consecutive in international play. "I knew that my avenue was sports, obviously, with football. But my main goal is always to show them that it's not about what I do. It's about how I do it."
And Taylor does it better than just about everyone else.
The three-time Pro Bowler finished with 20 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, powering a Colts offense that got off to an extremely slow start behind a leaky offensive line and turnover-prone Daniel Jones. But after settling in during the second half, it was Taylor who carried Indy to the finish line and marched his way into the record books.
The 27-year-old now ranks first all-time in international rushing yards (408) and touchdowns (six). He ranks third all-time in scrimmage yards with 458 in three games (Justin Jefferson has 491 in four games and Travis Etienne Jr. has 472 in five games).
"I just want to start out by shouting out overseas J.T.," Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said to begin his postgame news conference. "Hell of a guy. Hell of a player."
Taylor has proven he's pretty good on U.S. soil, too, as Sunday's performance pushed him to 75 career rushing touchdowns. He reached that threshold in 88 career games, tied for the fifth-fastest mark in league history, per ESPN.
"It's always a privilege blocking for him since he's been a rookie," said star left guard and fellow New Jersey native Quenton Nelson. "He's a great, great dude and a fantastic player that I think just keeps getting better."
Taylor scored on a 5-yard carry to give the Colts a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, and he delivered again with another 5-yard score in the third quarter that gave Indy a 17-6 cushion. But for as well as Taylor played, the Colts still have plenty to clean up, starting with Jones.
After committing three turnovers in last week's win over the Houston Texans, Jones committed another two against the Commanders. He is now up to seven turnovers (four interceptions and three lost fumbles) while scoring just four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing) in four games. Jones' first turnover Sunday came on the second play of the game, when Commanders edge rusher Odafe Oweh pushed Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann into Jones' lap. Instead of keeping two hands on the ball or tucking it as Oweh and Raimann closed in on him, Jones tried to extend the play, tripped over their legs and fumbled the ball away.
Later in the second quarter, Jones faced heavy pressure again on a third-and-10 from Washington's 44-yard line. Instead of taking the sack, he retreated in the pocket to buy himself another second before lofting a throw off his back foot. Commanders cornerback Rasul Douglas easily intercepted the pass as Jones, who rarely shows his emotions, quickly ripped off his helmet in frustration as he jogged back to the sideline.
Perhaps the most concerning part about Jones' pick Sunday is that he threw a similar one last week off his back foot after vowing to be smarter.
"(I) got to understand when to take a chance, when not to, when to protect the ball, when you have a chance to make a play," Jones said. "I think all that is something you're always studying and learning, and I definitely got to do a better job taking care of the ball."
Asked to assess Jones' performance so far this season, Colts coach Shane Steichen was quick to defend his QB.
"There's stuff to clean up, like always," Steichen said. "But I think he's doing a good job."
Jones' seven turnovers are the second-most in the NFL this season behind New England's Drake Maye (nine), and he's on pace to commit nearly 30. That's not a sustainable recipe for long-term winning, though the Colts survived again Sunday thanks to Taylor and a defense that stepped up for the second straight game.
Indianapolis' first five offensive drives consisted of Jones' two turnovers and three punts, but the Commanders came away with only two field goals on their ensuing drives. Washington, which turned to third-string QB Athan Kaliakmanis after backup Marcus Mariota left with a right knee injury in the first quarter, was also just 2-of-15 on third-down attempts.
"I'm very proud of that. We always say that third down is the main down," said Buckner, who had one tackle for loss and three QB hits. "That's the big down you have to get off the field, and I feel like we did a great job of that up front and on the back end."
Buckner added that it's encouraging for Indy (2-2) to improve to .500, despite not having a game yet where everything clicks. But if the Colts want to keep climbing, especially in the AFC South that seemingly has only one real challenger in the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars, then they can't rely solely on "overseas J.T." to energize their offense.
They need more from Jones, the quarterback they re-signed and stamped as the face of their franchise. Fittingly, the Colts will head to Pittsburgh next week, where last season Jones committed a career-high five turnovers as his play began to dip and Indy's season started to crack.
The foundation will be tested again soon.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
