INDIANAPOLIS — Alec Pierce played a key role in the defining moment of Jonathan Taylor’s MVP campaign so far.
Taylor did most of the work, keeping his feet and his head as he ran into traffic at the line of scrimmage in Berlin, finding an escape hatch to the left and breaking free down the left side for an 83-yard touchdown to give the Colts the lead in a tough game against the Falcons.
From the stands in Olympic Stadium, it felt like Taylor did all the work himself.
But he had a convoy. First rookie tight end Tyler Warren, then Pierce coming from all the way across the field, sprinting in front of defensive back Keith Taylor to take away the only Falcon who had the angle necessary to catch one of the fastest running backs in football.
“I kind of had a two-man almost police escort with AP and Tyler,” Taylor said. “That’s how those runs happen. … Tyler broke off before I even got into full stride. I mean, he’s seen that I was coming out of the run, and then he started just taking off, looking for work downfield.”
JONATHAN TAYLOR 83-YARD TD RUN 😱🔥
O.M.G. 🤯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/JS2Tfg28bN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 9, 2025
The Indianapolis pass catchers are almost always looking for work downfield.
When Taylor was asked about his thought process on the play immediately after his 244-yard performance in Berlin, he cited the work of Pierce and fellow wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., two players he has learned will always bring a physical presence to the running game, eliminating would-be tacklers to give him a chance to hit the afterburners.
Taylor knows there are running backs who can’t count on that kind of effort or physicality.
“There definitely have been stories of receivers who have not played as hard as the receivers that we have,” Taylor said. “I’m always thankful for the guys that we have, and I think that’s a testament to the front office of how thoroughly they watch film and vet. Like, ‘Hey, who are we going to bring in here? We’re going to get guys who are going to play all four downs hard and play for one another.’”
Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne sets the expectation himself.
When Wayne put up the film of Taylor’s run, Pierce joked, the Colts legend essentially said the wide receiver was just doing his job. Wayne sets the expectation. When a Colts receiver’s on the field, especially if he has the size and strength to be a force, he better make his presence felt in the running game.
Wayne played with Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai.
He knows the running game can pay dividends for the guys on the outside.
“Don’t get it twisted, they want the rock,” Wayne said. “But they do understand, if we block on the perimeter and help JT get some good runs, then that’s just going to open it up for the pass.”
There are times the opportunities do not come right away.
Pierce caught four passes for 84 yards against Atlanta, but Pittman had only two catches for 19 yards, one of his lowest outputs of the season. Veteran backup Ashton Dulin, likewise, is a road-grader of a blocker who rarely gets the kind of targets Pittman and Pierce enjoy.
All three get their work done in the running game anyway.
“Stat-wise, it wasn’t very good on my end,” Pittman said. “But you look at the run game, and I was throwing some pretty good blocks. We take pride in that, because to play winning football, you have to sacrifice.”
The Colts count on their wide receivers to play all the way to the whistle. The way Pierce and Warren played on Taylor’s spectacular run in Berlin.
“The effort there, like, that’s one of our standards,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said. “JT making the run was huge, but the effort at the end of the play by Alec and Tyler going down there and hustling to get that third level block, waiting whatever it was 60 yards down the field, makes all the difference in the world.”
Taylor has 1,139 rushing yards this season. Nobody else in the NFL has more than 968, the number put up by Buffalo’s James Cook in second place this year.
At least a few of those yards were created by the Colts’ receivers, finding work even when Indianapolis isn’t putting the ball into the air.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Jonathan Taylor went 83 yards vs Falcons after getting stopped at line
