Did Berlin witness the greatest individual performance in International Series history from Jonathan Taylor?
By Andy Davies
Did Germany just witness international greatness?
The Indianapolis Colts took on the Atalanta Falcons at the Olympiastadion, in Berlin’s first ever NFL regular season game.
What the German capital witnessed was a thriller, as they were treated to just the third game in the entire history of the International Series to go to overtime, and the second in as many years.
The Colts and Falcons ended the fourth quarter level at 25-25. In overtime, Jonathan Taylor’s eight-yard walkoff rushing touchdown sealed the victory for Indy as they moved to 8-2.
Coincidentally, Germany were also treated to an overtime game last season, as the Carolina Panthers edged out the New York Giants with a field goal. However, there was not a performance in that game that comes anywhere near to that of Taylor’s in Berlin on Sunday.
Taylor recorded 244 rushing yards and three touchdowns in their win against the Falcons in Berlin. This is in addition to 42 receiving yards. He ended the day with 7.6 yards per carry and recorded one of the greatest touchdowns in International Series history, running for an 83-yard touchdown.
It looked like Taylor was beaten at the line of scrimmage, but before they could even rule the play dead, Taylor broke a tackle and ran in for the score. This was an international performance to remember, but where does it rank amongst others? Here are some of the best performances outside the United States in NFL regular season history.
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 2013)
Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson stands as the last non-quarterback to win the MVP award, back in 2012.
To the London fans’ delight, they were then treated to the reigning MVP coming to play in London as the Vikings took on the Steelers. Minnesota took home the W after a 34-27 win, despite the best efforts of a Pittsburgh team that score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had 383 passing yards and Greg Jennings caught for a 70-yard receiving touchdown, but it was Peterson who stole the show. He ended the day with 140 yards from 23 carries and two touchdowns.
With over 12 minutes remaining of the second quarter and the Vikings just three points ahead, Peterson ran through the trenches, broke multiple tackles before running into the end zone for a 60-yard rushing touchdown to send the London crowd wild.
Peterson later scored a seven-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter but his first score is still remembered to this day and fans who were in attendance will always remember where they were when the reigning league MVP put on a show at Wembley Stadium.
Landon Collins (New York Giants vs Los Angeles Rams, 2016)
The sole defensive player in this article, Landon Collins had a day to remember during what ended up being the first of only three games to take place at Twickenham Stadium.
It was a 17-10 win for the Giants over the Rams, a win largely helped by the work of Collins.
Collins ended the day with eight tackles and two interceptions, one of these being a 44-yard pick six to put the Giants level.
This is widely seen as the greatest play in London Games history.
Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars, 2019)
Deshaun Watson is far from the quarterback he once was, but the 2019 version that London got to witness was special.
Watson ended the day with 201 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-3.
There was a collective gasp at Wembley Stadium as fans sat in their seats in awe of the Watson performance. Escaping sacks with Houdini-esque plays, finding Deandre Hopkins in the endzone and hurdling over defenders, Watson was electric.
However, this will be a performance that will be lost in the minds of NFL fans due to Watson’s off the field allegations.
Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers, 2024)
Saquon Barkley had a season for the ages in 2024, finishing with 17 total touchdowns, becoming the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards (2,005) and winning a Super Bowl. No player has had more rushing yards in the regular season and postseason combined.
In Brazil’s first ever NFL regular season game, fans were there for the start of a historic season.
In Sao Paolo, Barkley recorded 132 total yards and three total touchdowns in a 34-29 win as he kickstarted what was a magical season for the player and the team.
Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams vs Jacksonville Jaguars, 2025)
Matthew Stafford made London Games history this year, becoming the first player to throw for five touchdowns on international soil.
Whilst the London crowd saw a reigning MVP in the aforementioned Steelers Vikings game, they may have seen a future winner of the award on display at Wembley Stadium.
It was a dominant performance that saw the Rams beat the Jaguars 35-7, with wide receiver Davante Adams repeating the heroics of Geoff Hurst in 1966 by scoring a hattrick at Wembley.
Stafford gave a quarterback clinic as Trevor Lawrence could only look on in envy. The game may have been a damp squid, but the fans may have witnessed the 2025 MVP, a year on from seeing the other main contender at time of writing Drake Maye in their rookie year.
The overall verdict
It is hard to argue against this being the best performance in International Series history.
Not only did we see Taylor put on a clinic, but we also saw him perform when it matters the most by scoring in both the fourth quarter and overtime.
His 80+ yard touchdown will be talked about for years and this Colts team needed it after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers a week prior. Currently at 8-2, this could be a performance that fans look back on in what could be a magical season for the Colts in 2025.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS THE SUPER BOWL, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, justin jefferson, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.