Has the Colts offensive line turned over a new leaf with Jeff Saturday?
By Dailey Gee
In the first game under interim head coach Jeff Saturday, the offensive line for the Indianapolis Colts had one of their best performances.
There has been a lot of mix-up with the Indianapolis Colts over the last week. Frank Reich was fired and Jeff Saturday was hired as the interim head coach. If that is not enough change for you, Saturday opted to start Matt Ryan again against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. That proved to be a good decision as the Colts had a fun plane ride back to Indianapolis following a 25-20 win against the Raiders.
The area where I saw the biggest impact in the first game of the Saturday era was with the offensive line. Indy has struggled all year with protecting whoever the quarterback was and getting any type of push against defensive fronts. Opposing teams did not have to do anything special or bring any more than four guys to get pressure on the quarterback. We saw one of the best overall games from the offensive line against the Raiders.
Saturday said in a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show that he spent “85 percent” of the time last week with the offense. It was no surprise to anyone considering that was the side of the ball that needed the most attention, and the side of the ball that Saturday played.
"I called our offensive line out & they appreciated the challenge" ~@SaturdayJeff#PMSOverreactionMonday pic.twitter.com/1w7xktlXS6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 14, 2022
Jeff Saturday challenged Colts’ offensive line
The Colts ran for 207 yards and passed for 208 yards for a total of 415 yards on offense, which was the third-highest of the year for Indy. A chunk of those rushing yards was provided by a 66-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor. There was not much doubt on the run. The line did a good job kicking out the defensive linemen and getting to the second level.
Matt Ryan was also given an adequate amount of time and was able to scan the defense and make correct reads. The line gave up just one sack to the Raiders’ pass rush on a play that could have easily gone for positive yards. That is eight fewer sacks than Indy allowed in the game before against the Patriots when Sam Ehlinger was sacked nine times.
I am trying to not get my hopes up too much but yesterday really looked like the Colts were back. We have been so frustrated all year and finally got a taste of what this offense can look like when they are at their best. There seems to be a new vibe to this team. I think you have to look at Saturday for that. I think he has come in and taken over this locker room. The players seem to respect and trust him and we will reap the benefits sooner rather than later if the Colts continue to follow his lead.
