Raiders’ defense no match for swift Colts’ rookie running back

As one of the fastest players in football, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton knows a thing or two about speed. And he was impressed by the speed teammate Jonathan Taylor flashed Sunday during his 62-yard touchdown run at Allegiant Stadium.

“He’s fast. He blew past me,” said Hilton, who scored twice in the first half and finished with 86 receiving yards. “He’s showcasing his playmaking ability.”

Indeed, and at the Raiders’ expense.

Taylor ran for a career-high 150 yards on Sunday during a 44-27 victory over the Raiders, blending his speed, power and vision to spearhead a season-high 212 rushing yards as a team. The rookie running back was humble afterward, crediting his offensive line for paving the way.

But he acknowledged that yards are hard to come by in the NFL and said he was grateful for the “fresh air” his long scoring run provided.

“Getting a bit of fresh air is definitely fulfilling,” Taylor said. “The offensive line was clicking today. … My reads were clicking today.”

Taylor, 21, is one of the most productive running backs in Big Ten history, totaling 6,174 yards on 6.3 yards per carry over three seasons at Wisconsin. He was drafted by the Colts with the 41st pick and tasked with becoming Indianapolis’ feature back after incumbent starter Marlon Mack tore his Achilles in the season opener.

The results were mixed — he cracked the 100-yard mark in his second game, but failed to top 68 yards in his next seven. Colts coach Frank Reich said Sunday that he remained patient with his running back, insisting that he’d eventually perform the way he did on Sunday.

“The game is slowing down,” Reich said. “We’ve been talking about this as an offense, the whole year. … We just kept saying ‘Guys, be patient. We’re getting better. Just believe it.’”

Reich was right.

Taylor rushed for 90 yards on Nov. 22 in a victory over the Green Bay Packers and followed with 91 yards last week in a victory over the Houston Texans — foreshadowing his performance against the Raiders.

He was powerful and patient from the start, accounting for 42 rushing yards on the opening drive. The rest of the offense followed suit en route to the season-high 44 points.

“He’s blue collar. Wants to go in and work. Wants to block … I think that’s why you see him continually improving, because he’s willing to work,” Colts left tackle Anthony Constanzo said. “He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

He certainly was Sunday.

Indianapolis’ change-of-pace running back, Nyheim Hines, was also effective, rushing for 58 yards on seven carries, and quarterback Philip Rivers was efficient and effective, totaling 244 passing yards and the two touchdown passes to Hilton.

“We had some hiccups (earlier this season), but you’d like to think we’d been doing this all year. And that’s what you hope you do. You hope you’re playing your best ball in the fourth quarter (of the season),” Rivers said.

“I do think (improvement is) culturally what Coach Reich and the staff and our team has developed and built — to focus on the process. … We’re reaping some of that, and we’ve got to keep doing it.”

Sunday was a good day to start.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.