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Indianapolis Colts' running back Jonathan Taylor runs to the winning touchdown during the NFL match between the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 9, 2025. Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
Two explosive runners made the NFL’s Players of the Week list.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor totaled 286 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in the Colts’ 31-25 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 172 yards from scrimmage and three TDs of his own in the Detroit Lions’ 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders. Those two performances headlined this week’s awards.
Taylor’s final stat line was 32 carries for 244 yards and three TDs; along with three receptions for 42 yards. He scored his first touchdown halfway through the first quarter on a 1st and goal from the one-yard line to put the Colts up 7-0. His second touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter, an 83-yard sprint that gave the team a 22-17 lead. His third touchdown was the game-winner in overtime, from 8 yards out.
It was a historic performance, setting the record for most rushing yards and most yards from scrimmage in an international game. It was also a Colts’ single-game franchise record and a career high for Taylor. With his three scores, he also broke the franchise record for career rushing touchdowns with 66; the 83-yarder tied the longest TD run of his career. Through 10 weeks, Taylor leads the NFL with 1,139 yards—more than 200 yards above the second-place rusher—and 15 TDs.
Taylor paid his respects to Edgerrin James, who held the record before him, and also to the linemen who enabled him to achieve history.
“I mean, not only Edge, of course, I know he had the record, but you just think about the guys who we’ve had in this organization beforehand,” he said at a postgame press conference Sunday. “And to be named amongst those legends, it means a lot. I don’t take it for granted, but I also understand how those guys got there and how I got there. And it’s the guys around you ... like I mentioned, the guys on the edge, also the tight ends, the O-line. It’s those guys who put you into that category. So, I appreciate my teammates so much, and it means a lot.”
Gibbs’s final stat line was 15 rushes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, along with three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Gibbs scored the receiving touchdown first: halfway through the first quarter on 2nd and three inside the red zone, Gibbs ran an angle route over the middle and trotted into the end zone. He scored his first rushing touchdown in the second quarter, bouncing a run outside before being wrapped up by a Commanders defender. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta pushed Gibbs into the end zone. His second rushing score happened early in the fourth quarter: he took a pitch outside, then followed his blockers before hitting the next gear and racing to the end zone.
At his locker after the game, Gibbs also shouted out his blockers for facilitating his scores, especially his offensive line, which has been shuffled around due to injuries. He also recognized the Lions’ offensive explosion across the board.
“It’s really fun to get everybody the ball, everybody scoring, all having fun in the end zone, dancing, doing whatever,” he said. “[W]e’re like little kids, we’re just playing out there, having fun.”
The other AFC Players of the Week were Houston Texans edge rusher Danielle Hunter (defense) and New York Jets running back Kene Nwangwu (special teams). Hunter had seven tackles, four of them for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in the Texans’ 36-29 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nwangwu knifed through the Browns’ kickoff unit for a 99-yard touchdown; he finished with three returns for 143 yards and that score.
On the NFC side, the defensive award went to Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, while the special teams award went to New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd. Lawrence had four tackles, including a tackle for loss, and half a sack in the Seahawks’ 44-22 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals. He also recovered two fumbles, both of which went for touchdowns. The first was on a pass play where Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett was hit by linebacker Tyrice Knight on a blitz; Lawrence scooped the ball up off the bounce and returned it to the end zone. The second one was also caused by a blitz from Knight; Lawrence was close behind on a defensive stunt and scooped the ball up on the run for a TD. Shepherd had two tackles, a sack, and a blocked field goal in the Saints’ 17-7 win over the Carolina Panthers.
John Rigolizzo is a writer from South Jersey. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Campus Reform, and the America First Policy Institute.
