Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday was triumphant in his debut against the Raiders, putting even more pressure on Josh McDaniels.
Jeff Saturday was the Colts‘ surprise pick to take over as interim head coach after the firing of Frank Reich. A week of debate followed, considering Saturday’s lack of coaching experience at any level. Was Jim Irsay insane?
The line between madness and genius is thin and Irsay gets to claim he’s on the right side of it after Saturday led the Colts to a 25-20 victory over the Raiders in his debut.
That’s right, Saturday is 1-0 as an NFL head coach. Let’s all ruminate on that one for a while.
Best NFL memes and tweets on Jeff Saturday’s Colts beating the Raiders
Jeff Saturday becomes first coach since at least 1950 to tweet that a team looks horrible, and then beat them within the next two weeks, after never having coached at the college or pro level before. pic.twitter.com/UcqXWvZqma
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 14, 2022
Jeff Saturday gets the win in his NFL head coaching debut.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 14, 2022
Entering today, 6 of the last 7 Colts coaches had lost their team debut. The only one in the last 45 seasons to win was Jim Caldwell in 2009. pic.twitter.com/gi0fVN92LO
After the game Jeff Saturday should retire undefeated.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) November 14, 2022
Kid: Dad, I’m thirsty.
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) November 14, 2022
Dad: Hi Thursday, I’m Friday. Colts fire the head coach on Monday, hire Jeff Saturday on Tuesday to beat the Raiders on Sunday.
If the Colts win, the story will be about Jeff Saturday.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 13, 2022
What it should be about: the 3-3-1 Colts benching Matt Ryan, who was playing Perfectly Acceptable and at times Extremely Tough And Impressive football, for Sam Ehlinger because ownership was impatient
It helps that Saturday made his debut against a Raiders team that looks like they need a coaching change themselves. The hiring of Josh McDaniels looks more and more foolish with every passing week.
Losing to a team like the Colts with a head coach like Saturday did not make McDaniels’ job security feel any tighter.
Jeff Saturday came off the street and beat the Raiders. Embarrassing
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) November 14, 2022
The fact that the Raiders just lost to the Colts led by Jeff Saturday with everything that has gone into this makes it literally one of the most embarrassing losses that any NFL team has ever had.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 14, 2022
Horrible look for Josh McDaniels.
I’ve run out of unfavorable adjectives to describe the #Raiders.
— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) November 14, 2022
They’re a laughingstock.
The Jeff Saturday #Colts BEAT THEM AT HOME. L.O.L.
Josh McDaniels just lost a home game to Jeff Saturday.
— Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) November 14, 2022
Embarrassment of all embarrassments.
And it's not even a top 4 worst loss of the year.
McDaniels needs to go right now. This second.
Jeff Saturday has more wins in one-score games this season than Josh McDaniels.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 14, 2022
Saturday has coached one game. pic.twitter.com/zjtxnqDjri
I'm no NFL expert but Josh McDaniels getting another head coaching job seems a more egregious indictment of the NFL's hiring process than the Colts taking a flyer on Jeff Saturday.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 14, 2022
I’ve been saying all year that Josh McDaniels would not get fired after just one season……however…… pic.twitter.com/OQMOdiNXNH
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) November 14, 2022
Saturday got credit for reinstating Matt Ryan as the Colts starting quarterback and that paid off as Ryan completed 21-of-28 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. The focal point on offense stayed with Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown. Ryan also found the endzone with his legs.
The problem for McDaniels is that he’s got the firepower to beat Indianapolis. Derek Carr, Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs should be able to get the job done. Instead, Las Vegas can’t put anything together right now.
The Raiders have two wins this season over the hapless Broncos and the lowly Texans. They’ve lost three games in a row.
If losing to Saturday isn’t the last straw, it’s not far away from it.