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 a White Sox fan from Chicago. 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.
On the year, Taylor is now up to 1,139 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as well as 260 receiving yards and two more scores. Only 10 games into his season, he is on pace to finish the year with 2,378 scrimmage yards and 29 total touchdowns — numbers that would make for one of the most productive individual seasons in NFL history, ranking fifth and second all time in the respective categories.
For historical context, a season like that — ranking top-5 in both of those stats — has never happened before. Taylor, without hyperbole, is on the road for greatness.
More importantly, though, his heroics also have the Colts on that path. At 8-2, they are right in the mix for not just a playoff spot but the top seed in the AFC. They are currently tied with the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, but hold the edge due to their superior record in conference games.
For a team that entered the 2025 season with major questions on the offensive side of the ball, and particularly at quarterback, that is nothing short of an astounding development. And while new QB Daniel Jones, and the coaching staff of Shane Steichen and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter deserves plenty of credit in its own right, the work Taylor has done has been the catalyst for Indianapolis’ resurgence.
As a consequence, he now finds himself very much at the forefront of the MVP debate. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, he has the third-best odds to win the award behind quarterbacks Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford. He is the only non-QB in the top 10 at the moment.
Versus Atlanta on Sunday, Taylor already made his way into the record books. He surpassed Marshall Faulk’s single-game Colts rushing yards record as well as Edgerrin James’ career rushing touchdowns record. Now standing at 66 such TDs over his career, the 26-year-old seems like a safe bet to keep adding to the number and further distance himself from the rest of the field.
While that is testament to Taylor’s immense talent, he also made sure to shout out the rest of his team after the 31-25 win.
“To be named amongst those legends, it means a lot. I don’t take it for granted, but I also understand how those guys got there and how I got there,” he explained. “It’s the guys around you. It’s the guys around you that support you. The guys on the edge, also the tight ends, the O-line. It’s those guys who who put you into that category.”
When all is said and done, they might just have helped put Taylor in another category as well: 2025 NFL MVP.
