The Las Vegas Raiders, for all of their struggles during the 2025 NFL season, have actually been solid against the run. Outside of them allowing 201 yards on the ground in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, the team has held its opponents to 100 yards or less in the other four games.
They hadn't exactly played any worldbeaters yet, but they had shut down some pretty solid backs. Facing Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 was going to be their biggest test yet, as the young star is among the best in the NFL.
Raiders veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts detailed before the game how the team's defense could keep Taylor and the running game in check. But they didn't exactly do that. In fact, they handed Taylor a case to be the Offensive Player of the Year frontrunner on a silver platter.
Raiders made Jonathan Taylor look like the OPOY frontrunner in Week 5
In Week 5, Taylor had 20 total touches for 86 yards against Las Vegas. His three catches for 20 yards were impressive, but his 17 rushes for 66 yards, which averages out to 3.9 yards per carry, made it seem like he was not exactly lighting the world on fire.
Here's the kicker, however: Taylor punched in three touchdowns on the ground in Sunday's blowout win. His average yards per rush were also dragged down by scores from three and one yard, so outside of those two jaunts, he ran 15 times for 62 yards, which is a respectable 4.1 yards per carry.
Las Vegas' run defense was largely solid once again, as they relinquished just 96 yards on the ground on 25 carries. But they caved near the goal line, allowing four total rushing touchdowns on the day, including one to former Raider Ameer Abdullah.
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Taylor was starting to tumble a bit in the Offensive Player of the Year race, as his Week 4 performance was unremarkable, with less than 100 all-purpose yards and zero scores. He fully rebounded against the Silver and Black, however, adding 86 yards and three touchdowns to his total.
Now, Indianapolis' star has a league-leading 480 rushing yards and NFL-best six rushing touchdowns, in addition to 16 catches for 133 yards and a score through the air. Given how well the Colts are doing, sitting at 4-1, Taylor should easily be the frontrunner for the award after a showing like this.
It will be up to Taylor and his team to see if he can continue to produce like this, and if Indianapolis can still be a contender in the AFC. If both of these things happen, then Taylor seems like the obvious choice for this coveted honor, and it'll be known that he got back on track against the Raiders.