The Indianapolis Colts have created a lot of chatter over the past week after letting go of Frank Reich and deciding to shock the world by naming Jeff Saturday the interim head coach.
The organization finds itself at a crossroads because regardless of Saturday somehow keeping the job, there will be a lot more crucial decisions over the next six months that will impact the long-term course of this franchise.
But, we are here to focus on their matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. This game was supposed to be significant for the Colts’ similar matchup with the Washington Commanders. That contest was supposed to feature Matt Ryan versus Carson Wentz but we didn’t get that.
For this Sunday, we were going to get the coaching showdown between Frank Reich against Josh McDaniels. For those that may have forgotten, McDaniels was originally supposed to be the head coach for Indianapolis but backed out at the last second and Reich ended up taking the job.
Eyes will still be on this coaching matchup because it is Saturday’s debut and there are questions surrounding McDaniels due to the poor first half of the season by the Raiders.
The Colts have nothing to lose on Sunday so it will be interesting to see how they perform. Here are five things to watch for:
1
All eyes on Jeff Saturday
Typically, when an interim head coach takes over for the remainder of the season, there are low expectations and that coach rarely gets talked about unless he gets his team to the playoffs as Rich Bisaccia did with the Raiders last year. But Jim Irsay made a bold decision to bring back a Colt legend with only high school coaching experience to lead his franchise. This was a baffling move by Irsay and has brought a lot of attention to how Indianapolis finishes this season. The expectations are low, but in the Monday press conference, Irsay sure sounded like he would love to see Jeff Saturday end up being the head coach for the 2023 season and beyond.
I don’t expect Saturday to fix the offensive line and the entire offense overnight but I do want to see how the team performs under his leadership. If the Colts come out flat with no energy and just go through the motions that that is a sign that they’re not buying into this. An uninspiring effort in the first game of the Saturday era would point to the back half of the schedule being a long one for the fans of this franchise.
Ideally for Saturday, he galvanizes the team throughout the week and they come out with a lot of juice. A win would be great but if the players give it their all for their new coach then that is promising that they will seem to believe in what their new head coach can bring. His first meeting with the team seems to have gone well.
DeForest Buckner on Jeff Saturday's first team meeting as @Colts interim head coach: "The team meeting, the energy he brought – I was feeling it. I know a lot of guys were too."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) November 9, 2022
Outside of just motivating his players, his coaching on gamedays is going to be under a microscope. What Saturday elects to do on fourth downs, managing the clock with his timeouts, challenging plays, and his body language on the sidelines among many other things will be watched for on Sunday.
As long as the Colts don’t lay down for the Raiders to walk over and put up a good fight will be a good sign for Saturday but if he can get a win then it will provide a much-needed boost for this franchise.
2
Any type of improve by the offensive line
The Jeff Saturday era easily could end up being a disaster but if there could be one thing he can fix in his time it would be the offensive line. While the head coach won’t be hands-on 24/7 over that part of the roster, his experience should help start to improve it during his eight-game stint as the interim head coach. Jim Irsay’s worry over his expensive line helped pave the path of Saturday getting the job.
#Colts interim HC Jeff Saturday said his “first call (with) Irsay was during the game Sunday.”
He later clarified that the call/conversation was not about replacing Frank Reich in Indianapolis:
“No, nothing to do with a job. This was 100%, ‘What’s happened to our O-line?’” pic.twitter.com/REnOrTIOu7
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 9, 2022
He will have his hands full because there seems to be no quick fix for the offensive line. The Irsay call was a result of him seeing his team give up 9 sacks and 12 QB hits against the New England Patriots.
All 9 sacks given up by the #Colts.
– Matthew Judon and Josh Uche balled out.
– Once again failed to pick up stunts and had missed assignments.
– Some are on Ehlinger/coverage
– Bernhard Raimann lost 2 reps.
– Matt Pryor. Yikes.
Can Jeff Saturday save this? pic.twitter.com/u6FziUu9M2
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) November 8, 2022
Saturday did confirm that Bernhard Raimann will be the left tackle in Monday’s press conference. Dennis Kelly was solid but the front office has to find out if the rookie tackle is the future at the position or if they need to find an answer in the offseason. His development for the rest of the year will be something to monitor.
Now the question is, what about the right guard spot? I don’t know how Matt Pryor can be in the starting lineup with how he’s played this season. Will Fries did replace him and he should be the starter going forward. Not that he is that much better but just like Raimann, the team needs to see what they have in their young guard for the future.
This week’s test features Maxx Crosby who has six sacks this season. He can disrupt a pocket and wreak havoc on quarterbacks. But the surprise of the season for the Raiders is the lack of production from Chandler Jones. The veteran edge rusher only has half a sack this year. As a team, Las Vegas only has nine sacks this season, which is the lowest mark in the NFL.
Despite the low production, this won’t be an easy task for the offensive line. Their issues will continue to be a work in progress but some slight improvement is the first step in the right direction.
3
Parks Frazier's debut as the offensive coordinator
The Colts offense has been sluggish through the first half of the season and they are now turning to a first-time play caller in Parks Frazier.
Young but talented, Parks Frazier played QB at Northeast Mississippi Community College and Murray State. He joined the #Colts as Frank Reich’s assistant in 2018, helping with the practice plan, call sheets and scripts. Now, Frazier is expected to replace Reich as play-caller. https://t.co/z5MyyecRPP
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 8, 2022
This came after Jeff Saturday said in the Monday press conference that he was going through interviews with the coaching staff and would be making that decision. The Colts are averaging 14.7 PPG, which is the lowest in the NFL. If Frazier can guide the offense to scoring at least 20 points on Sunday then that is a major step in progress for the offense.
The Raiders are giving up 25.1 PPG, which is the sixth most in the league. One thing that is unique to Sam Ehlinger’s career, is that this will be his third offensive coordinator in his three starts. If there is one thing that is helpful is that Frazier and Ehlinger have been working closely since the quarterback joined the organization.
.@Colts QB Sam Ehlinger on new playcaller Parks Frazier: "Parks has been amazing since I got here. He’s kind of been, when I was drafted, he was the guy that taught me the offense. We’ve been very close since then and I’m really fired up for his opportunity."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) November 9, 2022
Relationships aside, how he calls the game will be what to watch for. The offense will still have the same scheme but the play calls will likely not be as deep without Frank Reich’s knowledge of his system. When speaking on it, Frazier mentioned he’s willing to be aggressive.
New Colts play-caller Parks Frazier will stay in the box Sunday, not the sideline, the same spot he's been all season. Asked about his style and how it compares to Frank Reich's, he said, "I'm aggressive in my own way."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 10, 2022
His plan to provide a spark?
One thought Frazier's had to spark a struggling offense: Simplify. "Find our best concepts, and be great at those," he said. Might be less plays on the call sheet, but the need, he said, is the players having confidence and mastering those.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 10, 2022
You can only go up from here as an offense but it will be a daunting task for Frazier and the rest of the offensive coaching staff. As much as they would like to light up the scoreboard, Indianapolis needs to show they can sustain drives first. If Frazier can get the offense to keep moving the sticks then that would be a major step for this team under the new offensive coordinator.
4
Does the defense keep up their play?
If there has been one thing that has been positive for the Colts this season has been their defense. They might not be the takeaway kings like they were last but they’ve been solid at defending offenses this season and have been the reason why Indianapolis has had a chance to win most of their games. Gus Bradley’s unit is only giving up 306.8 YPG, which is the fifth-best in the NFL. In terms of efficiency, they’ve been one of the best.
Make no mistake: What Gus Bradley is doing with this #Colts defense is special. https://t.co/cwwfQkHjUt
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 8, 2022
But how long can they continue that if the offense continues to sustain drives and keeps them on the field? That can not only end up wearing down a defense over the course of the defense but it also can be very discouraging to get back out on the field when the opposite side of the ball isn’t delivering on their job.
As far as this weekend, they will be facing an offense that will be without a couple of their key pieces. Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow have been placed on IR. That gives Bradley more of an easier task for his secondary to double Davante Adams as much as they can on Sunday. But they can’t only focus on the passing attack.
Josh Jacobs has revitalized his career. He’s been running all over defenses this season and currently is sitting at 743 rushing yards. That is the fourth highest among all NFL players. If the front seven can continue to win on the first two downs and take away the rushing attack then that bolds well for a good day for the defense.
Eliminating Adams and Jacobs should be the focus of the defense. They also can’t take Derek Carr lightly. He can dice up a secondary if he has time to throw the ball. The defensive front four needs to get after him often and they need Yannick Ngakoue to have a breakout game for Indianapolis.
It’s a revenge game for the veteran edge rusher after getting traded for Rock Ya-Sin this past offseason. He’s been a steady contributor. Ngakoue has four and a half sacks this season but he hasn’t had a game with at least two sacks. The Colts’ defense could use a disruptive game out of him.
I expect Bradley will have his unit ready to play since this will be a revenge game for him as well. The former Raiders’ defensive coordinator will have his defense ready to play on Sunday.
5
Getting the passing attack in a rhythm
The Colts are on a three-game losing streak and part of that is because of the passing attack having their struggles. One of the first tasks for Parks Frazier is to get this part of the unit on track and start stacking better games over the second half of the schedule. Sam Ehlinger only finished with 103 passing yards against the New England Patriots.
He was struggling at reading the defense and making quick decisions. That can’t happen when the offensive line’s play isn’t up to par. He did make some nice throws down the field but a couple of them ended up in drops. Ehlinger needs one of his receivers or tight ends to take over in this matchup and be that trusty weapon for him.
There hasn’t been one player to go over 100 receiving yards since the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, and Alec Pierce have flashed they can be a nice trio for their quarterback. After getting more practice reps with Ehlinger, there needs to be more of a display of chemistry between him and his receivers.
It should be a much easier task for Ehlinger and the offense this week after facing a Bill Belichick-led defense. The Raiders are allowing 255.3 passing YPG this season. That is the seventh most in the NFL.
It’s going to have to be a mixture of Frazier making the right play calls, Ehlinger making quicker decisions, and the offensive line giving him better pass protection. The Colts’ passing attack isn’t something that defenses are afraid and they won’t get any respect until they start connecting on more passes down the field.
