The Indianapolis Colts faced fourth-and-1 near midfield on Sunday in London against the Washington Commanders.
They handed the ball off to their running back. But it wasn’t Jonathan Taylor. It was Seth McGowan.
McGowan made a sweet second effort to get the first down, so all was well that ends well.
But it did raise a couple questions.
Why Is Seth McGowan Playing Over Jonathan Taylor?
This was the first action on offense on Sunday for McGowan.
He came in at the start of the drive that he eventually turned into a powerful first-down run.
Turns out, even a superstar like Taylor needs a breather, too.
This wasn’t the sign of an injury or anything like that. It was simply a pivot by the Colts to allow their rookie RB to get a little action.
The seventh-round draft pick seems to have been given this entire series, or at least the first stages of it.
Some teams will funnel in different RBs as a series goes along. The Colts like allowing their backs to get into a rhythm on a whole series.
Of course, that’s usually Taylor, but on this drive, it was McGowan.
Who is Seth McGowan?
Before this, McGowan had mostly been a kick returner for the Colts.
McGowan had quite the college journey — from Oklahoma to New Mexico State to Kentucky — and he showed just enough for the Colts to make him a seventh-round pick (No. 237 overall) in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Last season at Kentucky, McGowan ran 165 times for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns while also catching 19 passes for 126 yards.
He made a huge impact in Week 1 in the kick return game and has continued in that role.
“McGowan never carried the ball, but he had quite a special teams impact,” ESPN’s Stephen Holder wrote after Week 1. “The sixth-round pick showed promise in training camp as a kick returner and made his debut Sunday. He returned five kicks for 164 total yards. His longest return, a 66-yarder in the fourth quarter, took the ball to the Ravens’ 30-yard line. McGowan is expected to get some work behind starting running back Jonathan Taylor as the season progresses, according to coach Shane Steichen.”
That blurb a few weeks ago from Holder did suggest that McGowan would get a chance to play more on offense at some point. That apparently is happening at least a bit in Week 4.
Taylor should be back on the field shortly, of course, but McGowan looks promising, too.
Why Seth McGowan Is Getting Carries Over Jonathan Taylor For Colts