The Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1) ventured out west to Las Vegas Sunday to face the Raiders (2-6). The Raiders came into the game with an all-time series lead of 11-9. The Colts had few expectations, with a new head coach in Jeff Saturday (who had never coached above the high school level), a new offensive coordinator in Parks Frazier (who had never called plays before), and Matt Ryan at QB, who had been benched earlier in the season. The new regime was able to prove itself in their first test, despite being 4.5-point underdogs. 

The Colts finally won this one 25-20. Both offenses came out quiet, and the first quarter looked like a typical one for Indianapolis, who was averaging 1.1 points per first quarter before this game. But after a few punts by both teams, the Colts offense finally got something going. An 11-play, 70-yard drive highlighted by a 32-yard catch by Kylen Granson was finished off by a Matt Ryan rushing TD to give the Colts the lead. They followed it up a few minutes later on a 48-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin. Indianapolis threatened to score again, but a pass up the seam to Keke Coutee turned into a fumble recovered by the Raiders, who were able to turn it into a 12-play, 79-yard touchdown drive. With less than a minute left, the Colts efficiently got a drive together to kick another 48-yard field goal and take a 13-7 halftime lead. 

The Colts opened the second half efficiently, getting the ball deep into Raiders’ territory before Matt Ryan was sacked on 3rd down, setting up their third 48-yard field goal of the game, but it bounced off the upright. Josh Jacobs punched in a subsequent touchdown to give the Raiders their first lead of the game, but it was short-lived. Jonathan Taylor responded with a 66-yard touchdown run to give the Colts a 19-14 lead before they failed the two-point conversion attempt. The Raiders came back a few drives later with a big play of their own, a 48-yard pass to Davante Adams. With just over 5 minutes left in the game, Parris Campbell came up big for Indianapolis with a 35-yard TD reception of his own. Las Vegas threatened to score with under a minute left deep in Colts territory, but a failed 4th down attempt effectively sealed the game. 

Matt Ryan came back into his starting role with a pretty solid performance, throwing 21/28 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Taylor may have benefited from the new coaching staff, getting 22 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown. Ryan spread the ball around well, with 3 receivers over 50 yards. For the Raiders, Derek Carr threw 24/38 for 248 yards and 2 TDs, while Josh Jacobs ran 21 times for 78 yards and Davante Adams caught 9 balls for 126 yards. 

Final: IND 25-20 LV

Analysis

In probably the biggest, most telling game of the season so far, Jeff Saturday’s Colts came up huge. The Raiders aren’t exactly one of the league’s premiere teams this season, and it felt like a must-win game for Indy. Taylor’s 22 carries may be a telltale sign of what’s to come, and the offensive line looked solid, only giving up one sack against a pretty solid pass-rush defense led by Maxx Crosby. Colts fans can only hope that this trend under Coach Saturday can continue as they look to the rest of the season.

Around the Division

The Colts, who now sit at 4-5-1, didn’t gain on the division-leading Titans this week, as they ended up winning in Denver in a close battle to move to 6-3. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams sank lower in the standings, as the Jaguars and Texans lost to the Chiefs and Giants, respectively. 

Looking Ahead

Indianapolis will look to keep Jeff Saturday’s coaching career unblemished and move to .500 on the season, but face a tough task as they host the potentially undefeated Eagles, who play on Monday Night Football this week. A win would potentially be a sign of the Colts’ return to contention, but the Eagles open the week as 10-point favorites. 

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