Cam Heyward Praises Jonathan Taylor Ahead Of Steelers-Colts Clash

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will face a challenge this Sunday as they take on the Indianapolis Colts.

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has kicked off the season in outstanding fashion, and Cam Heyward recognized the challenge in trying to contain him.

“He requires everybody’s focus,” Heyward said on Thursday, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “He is lighting people up, he is bouncing off blocks. His contact balance doesn’t get talked about enough, and so we got to have multiple guys to the ball.”

Heyward wasn’t the only member of the Steelers to commend Taylor’s skills, as head coach Mike Tomlin also recognized the running back’s talent.

“He’s significant,” Tomlin said of Taylor on Tuesday, via Jim Wexell of Steelers.com. “Taylor’s got great stop/start ability. Got great short area burst, and vision. He’s got the long speed to finish plays, as evidenced by the 80-yarder that he had last week. But he’s always been explosion-play capable. When you play a guy like that, man, it’s really an all-day job. Because of that home run-hitting ability, we’ve got to do a really good job of setting the edges and certainly being in the appropriate gaps.”

The Colts currently lead the NFL standings with an impressive 7-1 record, thanks largely to the remarkable contributions of their talented 26-year-old running back. In just eight games, Taylor has racked up 850 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

As of Thursday, Fanduel lists Taylor with the sixth-shortest odds to win the NFL MVP at +1400.

The Steelers gave up a total of 236 rushing yards in their last two games. To prevent Taylor from having a standout performance, Pittsburgh’s defense will need to bring its best effort.

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