It's time for the Colts to add a final piece or two at the trade deadline as Indy surges to 7-1 with blowout victory over Tennessee

Are you listening, Chris Ballard?

For Chris Ballard, the time is now. Or at least it’s very soon, the NFL trade deadline looming Nov. 4. Now is the time for the Colts general manager to do something he’s done just once since taking over the Colts: Make a deal at the deadline. And we’re not talking about a minor deal; we’re talking about landing a big fish, a cornerback or an edge rusher or both, if possible.

A deadline deal would be totally off-script for Ballard, who dealt Nyheim Hines to the Bills in 2022 when the player asked out. But, then, Ballard strayed from his usual approach this offseason, adding several key free agents, most notably Daniel Jones, Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward.

Even after another blowout victory, a 38-14 affair that saw the Colts play their `B’ game and still dominate a rebuilding Titans team, it’s obvious they need a difference maker at defensive back and/or an edge rusher. The word on the street is the Colts are calling, inquiring on the availability of some more notable names. They know the score: This team is in position to win the AFC South(it seems like a fait accompli, but the season is just a smidge over halfway done). In the coming weeks, they have games against Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers and KC’s Patrick Mahomes, two games that should go a long way toward determining homefield advantage.

It’s time.

They can’t waste this remarkable renaissance from Daniel Jones, who finished with his typically efficient numbers, completing 21-of-29 passes for 272 yards, three touchdowns and a 136.0 quarterback rating. Somebody is going to get a bag, as the kids say, and the Colts are going to be the ones paying. A long-term contract will be on the table. It’s been eight games; the Colts have their quarterback of the future. After eight games, seven of them victories, there is no doubt. Jones has resurrected his career here, bolstered by Taylor, a fine group of receivers and a dynamite offensive line that has blocked in the running game and protected Taylor like fine china in the passing game.

They can’t let Jonathan Taylor’s Offensive Player of The Year season go for naught. Taylor is the best running back in the league this year, and even heard some well-deserved “MVP” chants after his second and third touchdowns. He probably won’t win the MVP; that’s normally a quarterback award, for better or worse. The last time a non-quarterback won it was Adrian Peterson in 2012.

“They usually give it (the MVP) to quarterbacks,” said Michael Pittman Jr. “But if they’re going to give it to a non-quarterback, it’s got to be JT.”

It’s hard to know where to start with Taylor, who is having his greatest season ever, and remember, he ran for 1,811 yards in 2021. He’s always been explosive and elusive, but this season, he’s even more electric, his violent cutbacks as sharp as a chef’s kitchen knife. How often does he make the defender miss when he’s met in the hole? Every time, it seems.

Sunday, Taylor became the fifth player since 2000 with at least three touchdowns in four games in a single season, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (2006), Marshall Faulk (2000), Shaun Alexander (2005) and Priest Holmes (2002, 2003). He is the sixth player in league history with at least 70 touchdowns in his first 75 games.

They are getting almost everything they want and need, from the incredible work of the offensive line to the receiving corps to the defense. But there’s a missing piece or two.

At cornerback.

At edge rusher.

Go all in. Go all in now. What did Jim Irsay say a few years ago? All chips in.

They are doing things, especially on offense, that you’re not supposed to do at this level -- they came into the game with the league’s best offense, averaging 33 points per game. They scored 38 Sunday, and called off the dogs in the fourth quarter. Here’s how many points the Colts have scored in their eight games: 33, 29, 41, 20, 40, 31, 38 and 38. That’s historic and mind-boggling.

Too much has gone right to turn back now. It’s time to take the big swing at the trade deadline. Because this Colts team, well, it’s got something special going on.