AFC South

The organizational restructuring for the Indianapolis Colts will not include the firing of general manager Chris Ballard.

Colts owner Jim Irsay told reporters "of course," when asked if he believes Ballard will return in 2023. "Yes I do. There's no question about that."

This is a change of pattern for the 2022 Colts, who fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady on Nov. 1 and then fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday. The Reich decision came after an ugly 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 9, which dropped Indianapolis to just 3-5-1 on the campaign.

It seemed like only a matter of time before Ballard would also be fired, but that apparently will not be the case.

Things have not gone as planned for the Colts this season, as running back Jonathan Taylor has dealt with injury concerns, Matt Ryan didn't live up to expectations as a veteran quarterback to take them to the next level with nine touchdown passes to nine interceptions in his first seven games, and unproven youngster Sam Ehlinger hasn't exactly seized the moment when Ryan was benched.

Ehlinger lost his first two starts under center before Reich was fired.

Indianapolis has played uninspiring football a number of times and is left looking up at the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South in what figured to be a winnable division.

Ballard was criticized for not adding better playmakers at wide receiver outside of Michael Pittman Jr. or improving the offensive line. The offensive line has been a major problem, and the fact Ryan is far from mobile only exacerbated the concerns as he faced constant pressure when he dropped back.

The Colts hired Ballard in January 2017 after they fired Ryan Grigson following five seasons.

It seemed like Ballard, who was previously with the Kansas City Chiefs as director of player personnel and then director of football operations, was set with star quarterback Andrew Luck as the franchise cornerstone, but the Stanford product retired in a shocking decision just ahead of the start of the 2019 season.

Indianapolis has been a revolving door of quarterbacks since with Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Ryan the most notable ones.

It also hasn't won a playoff game since Luck's final season, missing the postseason entirely in 2019 and 2021 and losing to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round during the 2020 campaign.

Yet it will still be up to Ballard to change that given Irsay's comments.

Many are questioning the Indianapolis Colts' decision to hire former center and ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday as interim head coach to replace Frank Reich. However, Colts owner Jim Irsay is standing by his decision.

Irsay told reporters during a press conference Monday that Saturday "is fully experienced enough" and "is fully capable" despite the fact that he's only coached football at the high school level. He said he's "glad" Saturday doesn't have any NFL experience and that the job opening wasn't offered to anyone else.

Irsay was also asked why he chose Saturday as interim head coach over the rest of the members of the team's coaching staff and replied: "Because he's a better fit. He's the best man for the job. There's no question about it in my mind, and I've been around it a long time."

He compared it to when the Colts named then-offensive coordinator Bruce Arians the interim head coach after Chuck Pagano's leukemia diagnosis in 2012.

Irsay also invoked the names of Don Shula and Tony Dungy when speaking about Saturday and said he hopes he remains head coach for more than the eight games remaining in the 2022 season.

Saturday played 13 of his 14 NFL seasons with the Colts and made five of his six Pro Bowls with the team. The four-time All-Pro helped lead Indianapolis to victory in Super Bowl XLI and was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor after he retired. He had been serving as a consultant for the Colts this season.

For his part, Saturday acknowledged that he was "shocked" to be offered the interim head coaching position and said he considers this role an audition for "not only for this [team] but for 31 others."

Saturday will interview the coaches remaining on staff to determine who will call plays in his coaching debut Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Indianapolis Colts named former center Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach Monday.

This comes after the team fired head coach Frank Reich, who had led the Colts to a 3-5-1 record this season.

Saturday spent 13 seasons with the Colts, making 197 appearances, and finished his career with the Green Bay Packers. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro.

Indianapolis' decision to make Saturday the head coach, even on an interim basis, is a shock. He has no experience as an NFL head coach, having turned down the opportunity in 2019 to become the Colts' offensive line coach:

As best as I can tell, Jeff Saturday becomes the first person in NFL history to be named a head coach without any coaching experience at either the NFL or college level.

He now takes over in Indy.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 7, 2022

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero noted the Rooney Rule doesn't come into play whenever a team is hiring an interim head coach. Still, the optics aren't good when Saturday bypasses the line to this degree.

From NFL Now: The #Colts hire Jeff Saturday as their interim coach, a move that no doubt highly qualified candidates who are minorities have noted. pic.twitter.com/BU0RgY35LX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 7, 2022

The Athletic's Zak Keefer also highlighted a few internal candidates who would've been better suited to succeed Reich:

The Colts bypass two former NFL head coaches already on staff — Gus Bradley, John Fox — and a rising head-coaching candidate in Bubba Ventrone, to name former center Jeff Saturday the interim coach.

That is a real sentence.

— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 7, 2022

The Colts have now benched Matt Ryan for Sam Ehlinger, a move that made an ailing offense even worse. Indianapolis mustered just 121 total yards and averaged 2.0 yards per play in Sunday's 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

Now the franchise has jettisoned Reich, someone with two playoff trips in his first four years, for a replacement about to embark on his first coaching gig.

It sure looks like Indianapolis is waving the white flag and focusing on draft position.

In the case of Saturday, the plan might go beyond bringing back a fan favorite to build goodwill for a time, though, per Keefer:

From what I've heard, wouldn't be stunned if this is more of an audition for Jeff Saturday than your typical interim role.

As in: Colts want to see if he could be the full-time answer at head coach. Why else go outside the building with other qualified candidates?

— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 7, 2022

For 13 years, the Colts had one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history in Peyton Manning. Then they tanked their way into another generational talent at QB, Andrew Luck. Their combined presence was a stabilizing force for the organization, and Luck's sudden retirement in 2019 has allowed Indianapolis' internal dysfunction to slowly rise to the fore.

That was initially symbolized by the team's revolving door at quarterback. Monday's coaching change will raise further concerns about the Colts' long-term direction.

The buck in Indianapolis has finally stopped with Frank Reich.

The Colts fired their head coach Monday following a ghastly offensive showing in Week 9's 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Indianapolis managed just 121 total yards of offense and scored more points for the Patriots (six) than it did for itself.

Reich, 60, was 40-33-1 over the course of his four-plus seasons as head coach. The Reich era was defined by a revolving door at the quarterback position, which began when Andrew Luck unexpectedly announced his retirement in August 2019.

Each of Reich's five seasons in Indianapolis began with a new starting quarterback under center, with Matt Ryan taking over in 2022. Ryan was benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger before Week 8's loss to the Washington Commanders.

The move came as a slight shock given Colts owner Jim Irsay publicly backed Reich just one week ago.

Jim Irsay: “Frank Reich’s job is safe” pic.twitter.com/51c7xZH4su

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) November 7, 2022

Jim Irsay’s last month
Bench Matt Ryan
Push out OC
Fire Frank Reich

Gonna be a tough job to fill because dealing with that owner is gonna be brutal.

Also, no QB

— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) November 7, 2022

The #Colts in the last two weeks:

Oct. 24: Benched Matt Ryan for Sam Ehlinger.

Oct. 30: Lost to the Commanders at home after leading by 9 in the 4th quarter.

Nov. 1: Fired OC Marcus Brady

Nov. 6: Lost 26-3 to the Patriots.

Nov. 7: Fired HC Frank Reich.

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 7, 2022

In August of 2021, Jim Irsay signed both Chris Ballard and Frank Reich to contract extensions through the 2026 season. Fifteen months later Reich is out.

— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 7, 2022

Frank Reich tried benching the QB, firing his OC, but ran out of scapegoats. Now he’s out in Indy.

— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) November 7, 2022

Eight days ago, Jim Irsay said he's giving no thought to firing Frank Reich or Chris Ballard. “I’m in a great spot with Chris and Frank,” Irsay told @mortreport. “We’re all re-energized with the move to Sam Ehlinger.” https://t.co/yVExFCaM8B

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 7, 2022

The quick about-face from Irsay already has some wondering whether general manager Chris Ballard is next on the chopping block.

The Colts starting over again. Not sure what Frank Reich being gone in November means for GM Chris Ballard but it's probably grim. That is a broken organization right now fielding a failure of a football product on offense

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 7, 2022

Chris Ballard running through his list too. https://t.co/Vnoumd3Hon

— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 7, 2022

The only question left in IND is if Chris Ballard survives.

I don't see how he can with that roster looking the way it does.

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 7, 2022

Frank Reich is a good head coach, man. Everyone always gets a piece, but it's very tough to look at this roster over the last few years and blame anyone more than Chris Ballard. The Colts believed they could out-draft and out-develop the NFL year after year. It's just too hard.

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 7, 2022

Ballard has been the Colts' general manager since 2017. He fired former coach Chuck Pagano following his first season at the helm and then made an unsuccessful run at then-New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in 2018 before settling on Reich.

The Colts have made the playoffs just twice under Ballard and have won only one playoff game.

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons denied inadvertently providing the opposition with inside information about the team's quarterback situation ahead of Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Simmons called out Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and said he "never once mentioned anything about our QB situation":

https://twitter.com/GrindSimmons94/status/1589660073642819584

Jones told reporters after the game the Chiefs expected Malik Willis to start for Tennessee, in part because he "talked to Jeff Simmons earlier during the week and we knew."

Ryan Tannehill missed a Week 8 victory over the Houston Texans because of an illness and an ankle sprain, and his availability for Sunday remained in question leading up to the contest.

The team listed Tannehill as questionable, and head coach Mike Vrabel said he'd likely wait until the last minute before making a decision about his starting quarterback.

Nobody was taken aback to see Willis leading the offense for the second straight week.

The Chiefs would've had a clear advantage if they knew well in advance to plan for Willis rather than Tannehill, though.

The coaching staff clearly doesn't trust the 2022 third-round pick to shoulder a heavy load yet, making the offense more predictable.

Willis threw 10 passes against the Texans, and only one of those came in the second half. Houston got a steady dose of Derrick Henry instead, with Henry carrying the ball 32 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

The Titans tried to strike more of a balance against Kansas City—Henry had 17 carries—but still couldn't pose much of a threat through the air. Willis finished 5-of-16 for 80 yards and was sacked three times for a loss of 23 yards. Two of those sacks came in overtime, with Tennessee trying to at least tie the score.

Even if Simmons had let it slip that the Titans were expecting Willis to start, it probably wouldn't have mattered much. They couldn't keep it a secret forever, and it doesn't take much preparation to adjust for what are the rookie's glaring flaws right now.

The Frank Reich era in Indianapolis has come to an end.

The Colts fired the 60-year-old on Monday following a 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 9, dropping the team to 3-5-1 on the season.

The decision doesn't come as a surprise with the Colts playing some uninspired football over the last several weeks. Both Reich and general manager Chris Ballard appeared to be on the hot seat.

Despite the addition of veteran signal-caller Matt Ryan during the offseason, the Colts have struggled under Reich in 2022. Their passing offense ranked 12th in the NFL, but the rushing offense fell to 30th one year after ranking second in the category.

After the subpar effort on Sunday, the squad ranks dead last in the league in scoring with 14.7 points per game.

The defense has also been inconsistent, sitting 13th in the league with 20.3 points allowed per game.

The Colts hired Reich as head coach in February 2018 after he helped guide the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LII in the 2017 season as offensive coordinator.

Reich's command of a Philadelphia offense that was forced to use Nick Foles during the playoffs following an injury to Carson Wentz was impressive, and the Colts were hoping he could work his magic as their head coach.

That success didn't translate to his new team, though, and the Colts posted just three winning seasons in his tenure. In addition, the team made the postseason just twice under his tutelage and failed to get past the divisional round.

Reich finishes his career with the Colts with a 40-33-1 record.

The Tennessee Titans were missing their starting quarterback, on the road in front of a raucous crowd and facing Patrick Mahomes, which was a recipe for a blowout.

Instead, they almost used quite the formula to stun the Kansas City Chiefs until Mahomes did his best Superman impression to lead the AFC West leaders to a 20-17 victory Sunday. Tennessee put up a valiant effort but saw its five-game winning streak end as it fell to 5-3 on the season.

The driving force of that valiant effort was running back Derrick Henry, who finished with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. It was much-needed, considering Ryan Tannehill was sidelined with an ankle injury for the second game in a row, and rookie replacement Malik Willis completed five passes overall, with zero going to wide receivers.

Henry's 219-yard and two-touchdown showing was enough in the last game against the Houston Texans when Willis threw for just 55 yards, but Mahomes was on the other side in this one and ran for a late touchdown and two-pointer to tie it before directing a field-goal drive in overtime.

Still, Twitter gave Henry his flowers for an incredible game, even if some were wondering why he didn't have more chances:

Derrick Henry walks right in for his second TD 😤

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/NQlhkSPmNF

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 7, 2022

Derrick Henry gets the TD from the wildcat 🔥

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/xbLHO0CrKO

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 7, 2022

Derrick freakin' Henry 👑

📺: #TENvsKC on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/ExOeMHivBX pic.twitter.com/kOAFlRfpUd

— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2022

POV: Derrick Henry just happened pic.twitter.com/zuHmolHaBE

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 7, 2022

the chiefs have like 9 guys in the box and derrick henry does not care

— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) November 7, 2022

Derrick Henry rn pic.twitter.com/HVLkQE2ZVW

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) November 7, 2022

Derrick Henry broke Earl Campbell's Oilers/Titans franchise record with the 74th rushing touchdown of his career.

Campbell played 91 games with the Oilers. Henry broke his record in 94 games with the Titans.

It's Henry's 20th career game with multiple rushing touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/vqjFtZr7Yk

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 7, 2022

Derrick Henry is just a monster. An absolute monster.

— Mike Herndon (@MikeHerndonSk1) November 7, 2022

https://twitter.com/IanKenyonNFL/status/1589443574789439489

Derrick Henry has passed Barkley and Chubb (bye weeks) to take over the @NFL rushing lead tonight.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) November 7, 2022

Derrick Henry is now the 5th RB since 1950 to have 17 or more games with 100+ rush yards and 2+ rush TD in their first 7 seasons.

Henry joins HOF LaDainian Tomlinson, HOF Jim Brown, HOF Emmitt Smith and 2005 MVP Shaun Alexander.@Titans @ProFootballHOF

— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) November 7, 2022

Not sure how you take the ball out of Derrick Henry’s hands on that drive if you’re Tennessee.

— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) November 7, 2022

Offensive plays in regulation: Chiefs 79, Titans 44. That partly explains just 16 carries for Derrick Henry (though he should still be in the 20s by now).

— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) November 7, 2022

Do not take Derrick Henry off the field. He’s the only player the Titans have and they have to respect him when he’s on it even if he isn’t getting the ball.

— Jared Stillman (@JaredStillman) November 7, 2022

I've got a wild idea for the Titans in overtime: Try some handoffs to Derrick Henry.

— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) November 7, 2022

It seemed like Kansas City was going to cruise to the straightforward win when it jumped ahead 9-0 with a Mecole Hardman touchdown in the second quarter. That's when the Henry show started with two touchdown runs and a 56-yarder in the second quarter as he showed off his speed, ability to run out of the wildcat and bruising physicality by the goal line.

Willis also used his legs multiple times as the Titans controlled the clock, kept Mahomes on the sidelines and put the four-time Pro Bowler under constant pressure.

It was the perfect gameplan to win on the road with an injured quarterback against a powerhouse like Kansas City, but Mahomes went full magician during a 93-yard drive with a long scramble to convert 3rd-and-17 before he used his legs for the touchdown and the two-point conversion to force overtime.

Fortunately for Henry and the Titans, they won't have to worry about Mahomes in the next game against the Denver Broncos.

The Jacksonville Jaguars "have been assured that [wide receiver Calvin] Ridley is working out as if he had a game Sunday and will be ready to roll once reinstated," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Ridley is serving an indefinite suspension after he bet on games last year, with his ban covering the entire 2022 season at a minimum. The Jaguars are unable to contact him while he's suspended.

Because of his status, Jacksonville's trade came as a surprise.

"We're confident in the due diligence that we did, who we talked to or what," general manager Trent Baalke told reporters. "We're confident in the work that we did and we feel very good about the decision to trade for Calvin."

Ridley had a career year in 2020, catching 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. He was limited to just five games in 2021, however, announcing last October he was stepping away from the team to focus on his mental health.

The Jaguars were aggressive in the offseason and focused part of their spending spree on addressing the passing game. Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram all arrived to help get Trevor Lawrence's development back on track.

Lawrence hasn't taken a big jump in Year 2, though. He has thrown for 1,840 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions through two starts. Per Pro Football Reference, his QBR has improved only slightly from 33.5 in 2021 to 45.6.

Ridley obviously isn't going to help the offense now, but he could be a big addition if he's reinstated for the 2023 campaign.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor's lingering ankle issues will keep him out of another game.

Head coach Frank Reich announced Taylor won't play Sunday vs. the New England Patriots. The 2021 Pro Bowler didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday.

This will be the third game Taylor has missed this season since suffering an ankle injury in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans. He sat out the next two contests, both wins over the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The 23-year-old was having a solid year before being sidelined, rushing for 328 yards and one touchdown in four games. He also caught nine passes for 44 yards. For the season, he's compiled 462 rushing yards and one TD, with 16 catches for 71 yards and a score.

This is the first time Taylor has missed more than one game in a season in his three-year career. He appeared in 15 games during his rookie season in 2020 and appeared in all 17 games in 2021.

Taylor went on to finish as last season's rushing champion with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 40 passes for 360 yards and two scores.

With Taylor sidelined, the Colts will likely rely heavily on Deon Jackson this week. Zack Moss, who was acquired this week in a trade with the Buffalo Bills, was a full participant in practice on Thursday.

If the coaching staff thinks Moss has a good feel for the playbook, he could see plenty of reps against the Patriots.

The Colts enter Week 9 with a 3-4-1 record, second place in the AFC South.

The Houston Texans fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 29-17 on Thursday Night Football at NRG Stadium to fall to 1-6-1 on the season, but the team still put up a good fight against the NFL's only remaining undefeated team.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had a tremendous evening, completing 21-of-27 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 23 yards on nine carries to help the Eagles improve to 8-0.

As for the Texans, second-year quarterback Davis Mills completed 13-of-22 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions. He also rushed for 18 yards on three carries.

Phillip Dorsett led Houston receivers with three catches for 69 yards, and Chris Moore caught four passes for 43 yards and one score, but it was running back Dameon Pierce who caught the attention of football fans on Thursday night after he rushed for 139 yards on 27 carries.

Pierce played so well that he now has NFL Twitter calling for him to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award:

Dameon Pierce is a top NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate and is reinforcing why tonight with 123 rushing yards on 23 carries, including 36-yard run.

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 4, 2022

Regardless of the outcome, Texans RB Dameon Pierce has greatly improved his rookie of the year campaign. He has 123 rushing yards in three quarters.

— Tyler Dragon (@TheTylerDragon) November 4, 2022

Dameon Pierce OROY?

— Mauricio Gutiérrez (@MGutierrezNFL) November 4, 2022

Dameon Pierce is a stud. This guy is only going to get better and better

— Bobby Thompson (@BThomps81) November 4, 2022

I don't know that he'll win Rookie of the Year simply because of the team he's on, but I have no doubt that Dameon Pierce is the best offensive rookie in football.

— Aaron Oster (@TheAOster) November 4, 2022

Dameon Pierce is tough!

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) November 4, 2022

https://twitter.com/_Da_pistol/status/1588353847445143552

Dameon Pierce is a freak’n beast! #TNF

— Josh Sanders (@JoshSandersX) November 4, 2022

POV: You’re a Texans fan but you have Dameon Pierce in dynasty 😂 pic.twitter.com/QFINCqbhZa

— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) November 4, 2022

If you were one of those people who "reached" for Dameon Pierce in the draft...

He was worth it.

— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) November 4, 2022

America learning the greatness of Dameon Pierce makes tonight the best #TNF game of year so far.

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) November 4, 2022

The Texans selected Pierce in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Florida. He entered Thursday's game having rushed for 539 yards and three touchdowns on 121 carries in seven games. He also had 20 catches for 98 yards and one score.

Pierce is going to have some stiff competition for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Ken Walker III, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave could end up being in the conversation.