Well, this has certainly been a busy and interesting week for the Indianapolis Colts. From the termination of head coach Frank Reich to the hiring of Jeff Saturday and to bizarre press conferences from Jim Irsay, things have not slowed down in Indy.
And all of this has left general manager Chris Ballard in a fairly awkward situation, where he ask to be asking himself “where do I fit in?”
While all of this is going on, the team has to be getting ready for their upcoming opponent Las Vegas. The Raiders have not been a good team at all this season. In fact, they are the worst team in the AFC West and it’s not even close. Las Vegas has blown three leads of 17 points or more this season. So, what should Colts fans be looking for this week?
Related: Indianapolis Colts schedule and game-by-game predictions
A couple of important Colts corners against Las Vegas’ wide receivers
We’re going to hold off on the biggest thing to watch for this week for just a little bit longer. For now, we’re going to focus on Stephon Gilmore and Kenny Moore. Gilmore is going to be matched up against Davante Adams. Gilmore is having a great season as is Adams.
- Stephon Gilmore stats (2022): 33 tackles, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 54.3% completion, 65.6 QB rating allowed
There have been some games where Las Vegas hasn’t made a strong effort to get Adams the ball. So, between Gilmore’s coverage and Vegas’ poor coaching decisions, it’s very possible Adams has a quiet game. Now, moving on to Moore.
When the schedule came out, Moore had to circle this game. Last season, Moore put up a Pro Bowl performance. Then, Hunter Renfrow dogged Moore in their matchup (7 catches, 76 yards, 1 TD).
And ever since that game, Moore’s play has not been the same. Moore should be looking for some revenge in this game and can expect Renfrow to bring his best game This should be Moore’s best game of the season and a reminder of how good he really is.
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Bernhard Raimann gets another start for the Indianapolis Colts
One of the first things that the new head coach has done is give rookie Bernhard Raimann another starting opportunity. The last time Raimann started was the Thursday night game against Denver. He had very little practice time with his offensive line teammates.
As a result of the lack of practice time with his teammates, he committed four total penalties. Three holding calls and one false start. However, after the false start, he settled into the game and played well. Now, that he’ll have a lot more practice time hopefully his performance can be much better.
The left tacle will have a tough test this week with Las Vegas boasting Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones as their top two pass rushers. You can expect those two guys to take turns against the rookie. Raimann should have some help from Quenton Nelson. But Nelson’s play this season hasn’t been anywhere close to his normal level.
Related: Why the Indianapolis Colts should fire Chris Ballard
Welcome to the main event: Jeff Saturday
I hope that you all read that with Michael Buffer’s voice. Ok, so Saturday is in the interim head coach. He has no coaching experience at either the college or professional level. He has been a head coach at the high school level. I won’t even attempt to speculate how much of that experience can translate to the NFL level.
Until today, the Colts currently did not have an offensive coordinator or anyone who has experience calling plays. They promoted Parks Frazier to be the new OC. This is his first opportunity for this role. If he does well, he’ll be the offensive coordinator next season. If performs poorly, well hopefully he will learn from his mistakes.
The range of outcomes for expectations for this week’s game is all over the place. The team has new and first-time guys in a couple of key positions. The Colts’ offense has been bad all season.
The root of that problem has been the poor play of the offensive line. What fans should look for in this game is what has Saturday fixed or been able to improve. Specifically, the offensive line and Sam Ehlinger. The word out of the facility on West 56th street is that Saturday is here to evaluate this Colts roster and team and then report back to Irsay where are the faults. This week is going to be highly entertaining to watch so be sure to have your favorite snacks and beverages on hand.