You might be asking yourself “how can a player win the MVP Award when it’s only Week 11?”

Well the answer is simple: he hasn’t.

BUT, Colts’ star running back Jonathan Taylor, who has had an up-and-down NFL career since being drafted from Wisconsin, has had a historic season, on pace to even rival Saquon Barkley from last season. And in a league that’s dominated by passing yards and scrambling quarterbacks, Taylor is bringing old school back by leading the Colts’ offense to an 8-2 record heading into their bye week.

So while there are plenty of games left, and players such as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, and De’Von Achane making MVP cases for themselves as well, Taylor is firmly in the driver’s seat for the MVP Award.

Taylor is on top of the NFL in rushing yards (1,139) and rushing touchdowns (15) and is averaging six yards per carry. This past Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in Germany, he had his most dominant performance of 2025 so far with 244 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 32 attempts. His third touchdown of the day came in overtime to win the game for Indianapolis.

In an interview with Bleacher Report, Patrick Surtain spoke highly of Taylor’s career and argued that he should be a frontrunner for MVP. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has a lot of respect for Taylor, and even insinuated that it shouldn’t automatically go to a quarterback every year.

Surtain first noted just how good a player Taylor is. “I think what makes him such a premier back in his league is his elusiveness, his ability to be a big play threat anytime he gets the ball. And another part about his game, I mean, obviously you see his breakaway speed, but people are like, man, it doesn’t seem like he’s running that fast,” he said.

“And I’m the first year to say it. I went up against him early this year, and the boy could run. The boy got some wheels. And I think he likes, 22 miles per hour consistently throughout his career,” he added.

Yet Taylor’s chances to be MVP are often brushed off, simply because he isn’t a quarterback. And it’s true that most of the time, it’s the quarterback who is the most valuable player, who has the biggest impact on whether a team wins or loses.

But it’s time running backs, namely Taylor, get the recognition they’ve worked hard for.