PITTSBURGH —The NFL's rushing leader visits Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers veteran mainstay Cam Heyward didn't downplay how tough it will be for his defense to slow him down.
Indianapolis Colts tailback Jonathan Taylor paces the league in rushing yards (850), carries (143), rushes of 20-plus yards (6) and touchdowns on the ground (12). Heyward said Thursday before practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex that he believes the sixth-year veteran should be considered the front-runner for the NFL's MVP award.
"I think Jonathan Taylor requires everybody's focus," Heyward said. "He is lighting people up. He is bouncing off blocks. His contact balance doesn't get talked about enough, so we've got to have multiple guys to the ball. We've gotta make sure we really rally."
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) scores a touchdown as Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
"He's got great stop-start ability, great short-area burst and vision, long speed to finish plays, as evidenced by the 80-yarder that he had last week," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. "He's always been explosive-play capable. When you play a guy like that, it's really an all-day job because of that home run-hitting ability. Got to do a really good job setting the edges and certainly being in the appropriate gaps."
Heading into the Week 9 matchup, the Steelers rank 18th in the league in rushing defense, allowing 112.7 yards per game. They've allowed at least 100 rushing yards in four of their seven games this season and came close to permitting that many against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Heyward also heaped praise on the Colts' offensive line, which is spearheaded by left guard Quenton Nelson , a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and a three-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : 'All-Day Job': Colts' Jonathan Taylor Poses Problem for Staggered Steelers Defense
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