BERLIN (AP) — Even after a spectacular individual performance, Jonathan Taylor was all about praising his Indianapolis Colts teammates Sunday.
His 83-yard touchdown run? That was thanks to his edge blockers. His 8-yard scamper in overtime to give Indianapolis a 31-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons?
“You remember not even the run, you remember your teammates embracing you after that play,” he said.
Fans in Berlin won’t forget Taylor’s three-touchdown, 244-yard rushing day in the first regular-season NFL game in the German capital.
Colts kicker Michael Badgley tied the game with a 44-yard field goal with 25 seconds left.
The Falcons had taken a 25-22 lead with 1:44 left in regulation on Tyler Allgeier’s second touchdown of the game — a 1-yard plunge.
Taylor’s big run
Taylor had put the Colts (8-2) in front 22-17 with an 83-yard touchdown run on the previous drive. It was the longest run of the season in the NFL. Daniel Jones’ pass attempt on the 2-point conversion was batted down.
Taylor ran into traffic up the middle, bounced out to the left and sprinted down the sideline into the end zone. The score moved him past Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for most rushing touchdowns (65) in Colts history.
“When I bounced to the outside, there’s no lack of trust, it’s just hit the edge full speed,” Taylor said. “When you have that kind of trust with the guys on the edge, you get those special runs like that.”
It was Taylor’s third career 200-yard rushing day. His single-game career high is 253 yards from his rookie season in 2020.
Taylor is the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 200 rushing yards and at least three rushing TDs in a game twice in a career. The others are Jim Brown, Adrian Peterson and Derrick Henry.
Allgeier finished with 57 yards on 11 carries and Bijan Robinson rushed 17 times for 84 yards but the Falcons (3-6) fell to their fourth straight loss. Atlanta was 0 for 8 on third down.
“We had plenty of opportunities to win it,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We’ve just got to find a way to get better, whether it’s stopping the run, whether it’s covering kicks better, returning the ball better or converting on third down — all the things that kind of hurt us today.”
Michael Penix Jr. completed 12 of 28 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown.
Jones finished 19 of 26 for 255 yards with a touchdown and interception. He was sacked seven times, fumbled three times and lost one of them.
“We hurt ourselves in some key spots that we can’t afford to do,” the quarterback said.
The Falcons led 14-13 at halftime and increased their lead to 17-13 lead on Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard field goal early in third quarter.
The Colts drove into the red zone early in the fourth, but settled for Badgley’s 34-yard field goal — reducing Atlanta’s lead to 17-16.
OT coin toss
The overtime coin toss needed a do-over after the Colts — the “home” team — mistakenly were allowed to call the toss. That should have gone to the “away” team — so referee Clete Blakeman conducted a new toss. The Falcons called it, won it, and received the ball to start overtime.
Early action
Penix found Drake London with linebacker Germaine Pratt in coverage and floated it to the wide receiver for a 16-yard touchdown strike and a 14-13 lead late in the second quarter.
Taylor’s 1-yard scoring run opened the scoring but Badgley’s extra-point attempt was wide right.
Taylor’s TD came after Penix lost a fumble on Atlanta’s first drive. Camryn Bynum hit Penix’s blindside, giving the Colts the ball on the Atlanta 23. Kyle Pitts earlier dropped a pass that would have been a big gain for the Falcons.
Atlanta moved in front 7-6 on Allgeier’s 1-yard touchdown run and the extra point by Gonzalez, who was signed this week after Parker Romo missed an extra-point attempt late in Atlanta’s 24-23 loss to New England.
The Colts needed just two offensive plays to retake the lead. Taylor ran it for 28 yards and Jones hit Alec Pierce in double coverage in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown pass.
Early in the second quarter, Badgley’s 53-yard field-goal attempt fell short.
Jessie Bates had an interception just before halftime when Jones underthrew Pierce on a third-and-11.
Historic day in Berlin
It was the first regular-season NFL game in the German capital, but Nov. 9 is a special day for Germans for a bigger reason. Sunday was the 36th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The stadium is located in what used to be West Berlin.
Olympiastadion, as its called in German, is also where Jesse Owens won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics to thwart Nazi claims of Aryan racial supremacy. Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris prepared a video for his players about Owens’ feats.
“This is a historic place,” Taylor said. “You look back at the history, the guys who have achieved amazing feats here. It makes me feel like I’m a part of that lineage. I’m just so appreciative, I’m humbled to have a small piece of history here.”
Injuries
Falcons: Sam Roberts and Dee Alford were questionable to return in the first quarter.
Colts: London returned after being checked in the medical tent following his second-quarter touchdown.
Up next
Falcons: host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.
Colts: bye and then at Kansas City in Week 12.
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