Indianapolis Colts: Will Chuck Pagano Lose Job over Trick Play?

By Phil Naegely | Oct 19, 2015

The Indianapolis Colts battled Tom Brady and company in a thrilling game on Sunday Night Football. They almost came away with a big win at home, but one play cost them any chance of that. While head coach Chuck Pagano is taking the blame for the miscommunication on the worst play in the NFL this decade, should the play cost him his job?

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Most likely this one play won’t cost him his job mainly due to how the team played without Andrew Luck for two weeks. Matt Hasselback filled in and came away with two wins against below average teams in the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, if the Colts had a back-up without much NFL experience, then they may have lost one or both of the games.

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Instead, the Colts sit in second in the AFC South with a 3-3 record. While their is some concern on how the season played out, Colts fans don’t need to go hit the panic button yet. Chuck Pagano’s seat is warm, but it’s not blazing hot yet.

The season and making the playoffs is still manageable at this point. Yes, beating the Patriots would have been nice given everything that surrounded last AFC Championship meeting since, but it’s not the end of the world that they lost. The Colts will regroup from the loss and start preparing for a game against a struggling Saints team whose head coach may be heading to California before we know it.

After playing the Saints, the Colts will face the Panthers, Broncos, and Falcons. While the Panthers have been impressive behind Cam Newton, they are still a beatable team. Denver has issues especially with Peyton Manning’s uncharacteristic season and their offensive line woes. Only reason the Broncos are still undefeated and contenders this season is because of the defense. Lastly, the Saints exploited the Falcons on Thursday Night Football and showed that they are a beatable side as well.

After the Falcons game, the Colts play opponents with a combined 12-21 record. All those games are winnable for the Colts. If Indy can come away with at least nine wins in the regular season, they should make the playoffs based on how the season is playing out so far. 10 or 11 wins would make Pagano and gang more comfortable and take more pressure off the head coach.

Essentially, Pagano’s job is safe at this point, but if they miss out on the playoffs due to one game, then the trick play that failed due to miscommunication may force him out. He would quickly get a job elsewhere in the NFL, but it would end his tenure in a town that has shown him love through his cancer treatment and deep playoff runs.

Pagano isn’t the coach with the greatest chance of being fired at this current moment. Given the schedule the Colts have played so far a 3-3 record isn’t the worst possible outcome and it keeps Pagano’s job safe until the rest of the season plays out.

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