In one of their more convincing wins of the season, the Indianapolis Colts came away with a 41-15 road victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 11.
This was one well-rounded performance by the Colts on both sides of the ball. Running back Jonathan Taylor led the charge for the Colts offense with the second 200-plus yards from scrimmage performance of his campaign. And to put the cherry on the top with his showing, he recorded five total touchdowns, which is now a new Colts franchise record.
On the other side of the ball, the Colts defense once again stepped up to the occasion. Bills quarterback Josh Allen was only able to anchor a pair of scoring drives, as his two costly interceptions marred his day.
The Colts have now won three straight games, but before they look ahead to Week 12, they sure may look back on these four takeaways from such a dominating performance against the Bills.
Colts Week 11 takeaways
4. Kenny Moore is still underappreciated as a slot corner
Colts slot cornerback Kenny Moore did not kick off the year on the right note, especially as he allowed a passer rating of 100.0-plus while in coverage as the nearest defender over the team's opening two games. But as of late, he has once again been showing on why he is one of the more efficient slot cornerbacks in the NFL today.
In the Colts' win over the Bills, Moore sure made his presence felt throughout the game. For one, he notched a much-needed interception off of Allen in the third quarter that essentially sealed the win for Indianapolis.
Moore is now orchestrating formidable performances at just the right time this season.
3. Colts defense is a real threat in the takeaways department
Colts quarterback Carson Wentz sure can thank the defensive unit for providing him and the offense with timely takeaways against the Bills.
The Colts defense came away with four total takeaways on the day, which included Moore's third quarter interception.
Overall, Indianapolis now ranks at the top of the leaderboard in takeaways this season with 25, which is one more than the Bills (24).
Opposing offenses sure will now be a bit more cautious when facing Moore, Darius Leonard and the Colts defense.
2. Jonathan Taylor is the favorite for OPOY… and maybe MVP?
The Bills simply had no answer for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor in Week 11.
Taylor finished with a notable 204 yards from scrimmage, four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. He also posted a yards per rush attempt average of at least 5.0 for the seventh time this season, as he logged 185 rushing yards from 32 rush attempts (5.8 average).
Through the opening 10 weeks of the NFL season, there was no clear-cut favorite for the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, although the likes of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott have so far had impressive campaigns of their own this year. But now, Taylor is much deserving of being the top contender for this coveted honor.
The second-year running back currently leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,444) and total touchdowns (15). He also sits at the top of the leaderboard in rushing yards with 1,122.
More so, one can also make the case that Taylor should be in the conversation for the 2021 NFL MVP award. The former Wisconsin Badgers star has defined valuable for the Colts this season, as his speed coupled with his agility in the open field sure has been too much for opposing defenses to contain.
The Colts star running back will have another opportunity to bolster his resume for these two honors in his team's upcoming Week 12 home matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1. Colts are not going away in the AFC South
At one point earlier in the season, it seemed as if the Tennessee Titans would run away with the AFC South and be the first team to clinch their respective division. However, this may not be the case anymore after what turned out to be an unpredictable Week 11 in the NFL.
With the Colts' win over the Bills and the Titans' upset home loss to the Houston Texans, Indianapolis now sits at a mere two games behind Tennessee in the AFC South standings. However, the Titans have already secured the head-to-head tiebreaker over their AFC South rival, as they won both games against the Colts this season.
With plenty of football to be played in the year, the Colts still have a chance at finishing the campaign at the top of the AFC South standings.
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