An excellent Sunday for (Jeff) Saturday and the Colts
Thought to be the best team in the AFC South entering 2022, the Indianapolis Colts have looked more like a pretender than a contender this season. And after the team saw its record drop to 3-5-1 following a 26-3 loss at New England, head coach Frank Reich was shown the door.
Owner Jim Irsay made a move that certainly brought some emotional comments and opinions. From a Pro Football Hall of Fame coach to a perennial Pro Bowl offensive tackle who may be headed to Canton soon.
But the proof is in the pudding, at least for one week. The Colts outlasted the Raiders on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, 25-20. And it’s safe to say that this was a much more spirited team, albeit against one of the worst defenses in the league. Consider that in the 23-point loss at Foxborough, Indianapolis gained 121 yards of total offense on 60 plays. That’s 2.0 yards per play. The club was 0-of-14 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down.
Yikes.
On Sunday, running back Jonathan Taylor gained 163 total yards from scrimmage – 147 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Colts rolled up 415 total yards – 207 on the ground and 208 through the air. Veteran Matt Ryan was back at the helm and made big plays with his arm and his legs. Indianapolis was 6-of-11 on third down and all told, averaged a brisk 7.0 yards per offensive play.
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At 4-5-1, the Colts have dug themselves a hole in the AFC South behind the 6-3 Tennessee Titans. Saturday’s team owns a 1-3-1 record in the division, two of those losses to the Titans. But the team still has seven games left. And who knows what will happen with the rest of the conference? Stay tuned.