University of Kwazulu-Natal

Jonathan Taylor Could Snap Nfl Qb S 12 Year Sweep Of Mvp Titles Usa To

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
jonathan taylor could snap nfl qb s 12 year sweep of mvp titles usa to

INDIANAPOLIS – “Jonathan Taylor is the ‘Most Valuable Player’ right now in the NFL. We just don’t want to acknowledge it.” “It’s tough to wrap your arms around (the idea) that the MVP of the National Football League is a running back, but guess what, everybody? It’s time to wrap your heads around the idea that we’re seeing it happen.” Those were the words of NBC’s Dan Patrick and ESPN’s Rich Eisen, veteran sports broadcasters saying out-loud what the stat sheets so plainly show (even if the betting odds don’t reflect it): Colts running... And those benchmarks, if he reaches them, should be more than enough to make Taylor MVP-worthy – particularly when the MVP candidates at quarterback haven’t been spectacular and certainly haven’t spearheaded the type of...

Either statistic – 2,200 all-purpose yards or 25 touchdowns – is rare in its own right. Only four running backs have hit the 2,200-yard mark since the start of 2013, and not since 2007 has a back totaled even 22 total scores. On his current pace – with 850 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores on 143 carries (all league-highs) and 25 catches for 206 yards and two more touchdowns – Taylor’s 17-game stat line would... As the NFL season enters its second half, the league awards conversation is only going to keep heating up. At the forefront of many fans' minds is who will be crowned the Most Valuable Player. Typically, that awards has been dominated by quarterbacks.

No position player has taken home the trophy since Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012 but that 13-year streak could come to an end this year. Indianapolis Colts rusher Jonathan Taylor has vastly impressed over 10 games, racking up 1,139 yards and 15 touchdowns already. The next closest running back (James Cook) is a whopping 219 yards behind. That's roughly two games of average output. YOU CAN'T STOP JONATHAN TAYLOR. 83-YARD TD.ATLvsIND on @NFLNetworkAlso streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/XiL55trl4d

Taylor is one of only two non-QB players with double-digit scores so far this year (Josh Jacobs, 11 TDs). Not even a wide receiver standout like Jaxson Smith-Njigba has hit that benchmark yet. Now he's got seven more games to build his already strong case. When you compare Taylor's stats to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley's 2024 campaign through 10 games, the latter trails by just two yards and seven touchdowns. Barkley finished the year with a near record 2,005 total yards but only 13 scores, finishing third in the MVP voting behind QBs Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. The Colts’ running back added to his spectacular season in Week 10.

The last time a non-quarterback won the NFL Most Valuable Player award, Barack Obama was president, Thrift Shop by Macklemore topped the Billboard Charts, and the Pope was a bishop from Germany rather than... In the 12 years since Adrian Peterson’s 2012 campaign, however, the list has been dominated by QBs. In general, a player other than a quarterback being named MVP has become a rarity since the turn of the century; the position group has won 21 of 25 possible trophies since 2000. What it takes for the voters to consider somebody else in this day and age is a true standout season pushing for a spot in the history books, just like Peterson’s in 2012. Or, you know, like the one Jonathan Taylor is having. The Colts running back is, to put it mildly, on a heater right now.

Just this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, he finished with 32 carries for 244 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. He also gained 42 yards on three receptions. Jonathan Taylor is having an amazing season for the Indianapolis Colts. Could the star running back win the NFL MVP Award? At 5-1, the Colts have surprised the sports world this year. They just might be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

They own the best record in the AFC and are off to their best start since 2009. Yeah, that was a very long time ago. Quarterback Daniel Jones, who’s in his first year with the Colts, is the main reason behind the team’s hot start. But without a doubt, Jonathan Taylor has been instrumental as well. The former Wisconsin Badger is leading the NFL in both rushing yards (603) and rushing touchdowns (seven). However, a non-quarterback hasn’t won an MVP award in 13 years.

Can Jonathan Taylor get the job done? Again, it has been a while since a non-quarterback has won an MVP award. Running back Adrian Peterson was the last player to accomplish the feat (2012). That year, he had a monster season for the Minnesota Vikings, rushing for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-987552798 lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_8359.webp?resize=640%2C427&#038;quality=80&#038;ssl=1" alt="Jonathan Taylor " width="640" height="427" srcset="https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_8359.webp 640w, https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_8359-480x320.webp 480w" sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 640px, 100vw" /> Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts has been on a tear early in the 2025 season.

The Colts have started the season 3-0 and will be tested this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams. It is almost unheard of for a running back to be in the running for an MVP award, at least in the last 10 years. However, judging by the play of the Colts and Jonathan Taylor, there is a chance he could be in the conversation in a couple of months. Adrian Peterson was the last running back to win MVP in 2012. If there isn’t a solidified quarterback that deserves the MVP, Jonathan Taylor should win the award. Brian Callahan Can Flip The Script For Tennessee’s Season

It's been more than a decade since anyone other than a quarterback won the National Football League's Most Valuable Player award, but could a former University of Wisconsin star be on the precipice of... No team in football has a better record than the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts, a revelation fronted by surprising quarterback standout Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor, the ex-Badger and two-time Pro Bowler who leads the... Taylor has 25 catches for 206 yards and another two touchdowns. The runner-up for offensive player of the year in 2021 will make a serious run at that award in 2025, but what about MVP? Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings won the NVL MVP award in 2012, and since then, the award has gone to exclusively quarterbacks, including Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers (three times), Cam Newton, Matt Ryan,... Before Peterson, you have to go back to 2006 for LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers to find a non-QB winner.

Seattle running back Shawn Alexander won the year before that, and Marshall Faulk of the Rams won in 2000. Winning the NFL's Most Valuable Player award is next to impossible as a running back nowadays. It's next to impossible if you play any position other than quarterback. The last non-QB to win NFL MVP was Adrian Peterson back in 2012. Before that, it was LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. Unless you're a top 10 NFL running back of all-time, you pretty much don't stand a chance.

The NFL MVP has almost become more of a career achievement award these days. Take last year for example. The MVP came down to 3 people. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Saquon Barkley. Obviously Saquon Barkley didn't stand a real chance, because he's a running back (even though he had nearly identical stats to Adrian Peterson's 2012 MVP season). And when it came to Josh Allen vs Lamar Jackson, if you look at the stats, Lamar Jackson had him beat in pretty much every category.

But Lamar Jackson won MVP the year prior. Josh Allen hadn't been awarded one yet. But Josh Allen has been an elite NFL QB for long enough that it would be ridiculous to look back on the history books and see that he had never won one. He deserves at least one MVP. So that's what the voters did. I don't know if that's actually how voters think.

Josh Allen also had a much worse team around him than Lamar last season. But that's my opinion on how MVP voters sometimes look at things. There's definitely something to it. They do it in the NBA as well. LeBron was undisputedly the most valuable player to his team for over a decade, but he only won the award 4 times. I wish the NFL would consider running backs more as legitimate MVP contenders.

Saquon Barkley became one of only 9 players in NFL history to have ever rushed for over 2,000 yards. But he was up against the two-headed monster that was Lamar Jackson, and an MVP-less Josh Allen. So in reality, he probably never really stood a chance. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa... 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) scores a touchdown during overtime in an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Anthony Nelson (98) pressures New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws as he is pressured by Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darius Robinson during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacts after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

People Also Search

INDIANAPOLIS – “Jonathan Taylor Is The ‘Most Valuable Player’ Right

INDIANAPOLIS – “Jonathan Taylor is the ‘Most Valuable Player’ right now in the NFL. We just don’t want to acknowledge it.” “It’s tough to wrap your arms around (the idea) that the MVP of the National Football League is a running back, but guess what, everybody? It’s time to wrap your heads around the idea that we’re seeing it happen.” Those were the words of NBC’s Dan Patrick and ESPN’s Rich Eisen...

Either Statistic – 2,200 All-purpose Yards Or 25 Touchdowns –

Either statistic – 2,200 all-purpose yards or 25 touchdowns – is rare in its own right. Only four running backs have hit the 2,200-yard mark since the start of 2013, and not since 2007 has a back totaled even 22 total scores. On his current pace – with 850 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores on 143 carries (all league-highs) and 25 catches for 206 yards and two more touchdowns – Taylor’s 17-game s...

No Position Player Has Taken Home The Trophy Since Minnesota

No position player has taken home the trophy since Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012 but that 13-year streak could come to an end this year. Indianapolis Colts rusher Jonathan Taylor has vastly impressed over 10 games, racking up 1,139 yards and 15 touchdowns already. The next closest running back (James Cook) is a whopping 219 yards behind. That's roughly two games of average...

Taylor Is One Of Only Two Non-QB Players With Double-digit

Taylor is one of only two non-QB players with double-digit scores so far this year (Josh Jacobs, 11 TDs). Not even a wide receiver standout like Jaxson Smith-Njigba has hit that benchmark yet. Now he's got seven more games to build his already strong case. When you compare Taylor's stats to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley's 2024 campaign through 10 games, the latter trails by just ...

The Last Time A Non-quarterback Won The NFL Most Valuable

The last time a non-quarterback won the NFL Most Valuable Player award, Barack Obama was president, Thrift Shop by Macklemore topped the Billboard Charts, and the Pope was a bishop from Germany rather than... In the 12 years since Adrian Peterson’s 2012 campaign, however, the list has been dominated by QBs. In general, a player other than a quarterback being named MVP has become a rarity since the...