NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Colts Finally Heading In The Right Direction

The Colts continued their 2022 season on the road on Sunday against an AFC rival team in the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders were 2-6 coming off a loss to the Jacksonville Jagurs and were struggling for any kind of consistency. The Colts managed to get a key player back from injury in star running back Jonathan Taylor but were without starr defensive play-maker Shaquille Leonard.

The now Colts sit at 4-5-1, and are currently second in the AFC South. The Colts managed to finally grab their fourth win of the year and needed to keep pace with the Tennessee Titans as they sit first in and above the Colts in the AFC South title.

The national media have moved the Colts up in the power rankings board for the first time in weeks after their win against the Raiders. Here is how the Colts stack up in the week 10 power rankings.

ESPN has the Colts at 21:

Unfortunately for Reich, we nailed this one. He was fired in the midst of his fifth season after a 26-3 loss to the Patriots. Reich was beset by a revolving door of quarterbacks during his tenure, leading to slow starts to seasons and inconsistent results. He is still highly regarded and will want to coach again. We’ll see what the marketplace thinks of him in the coming months. As for his replacement, Jeff Saturday, he’s embarking on an endeavor unprecedented in the modern era — becoming a head coach without any college or pro experience. He’ll either revolutionize NFL hiring or be a funny footnote in history.

NFL.com has the Colts at 27:

The Colts are the most unpredictable show on television. Just six days after the dismissal of Frank Reich and stunning hire of Jeff Saturday, Indy threw another curveball with the surprise decision to bring Matt Ryan out of mothballs and send the overmatched Sam Ehlinger back to the bench. Ryan took the opportunity and made the most of it, running the offense like the decorated veteran he is in a 25-20 win over the Raiders. It certainly helped Ryan that the offensive line played its best game of the year and Jonathan Taylor suddenly looked like his 2021 superstar self again. This had to be a tremendously annoying game for Reich to be watching from his couch.

CBS Sports has the Colts at 21:

Jeff Saturday is 1-0. So much for all the laughing you did when he was named interim coach. The smartest thing he did was bring back Matt Ryan as a starter.

USA Today has the Colts at 26:

Despite the sideshow they’d become over the last week, Jeff Saturday and Co. are just one back in the win column when it comes to scrapping for an AFC wild-card berth. Replicate Saturday’s Sunday formula, and Indianapolis could even find its way back to the top of the AFC South.

Yahoo Sports has the Colts at 19:

The switch back to Matt Ryan is not necessarily the wrong one, but the path to get there is strange. Jim Irsay said that the decision to bench Ryan was one he, GM Chris Ballard and since-fired coach Frank Reich made, but it was “always Frank’s prerogative” to make a QB switch. It’s hard to believe that. When the owner of the team is involved in a decision, especially a hands-on owner like Irsay, he’ll have the most important voice in that conversation. It’s fair to view the situation as Reich being forced into benching Ryan, then a few weeks later Jeff Saturday being allowed to go back to Ryan, who does give the team a better chance to win in the short term. It would be interesting to get Reich’s side of what went down.

Bleacher Report has the Colts at 22:

It was quite the week for the Indianapolis Colts. First, the Colts fired Frank Reich and named longtime center Jeff Saturday interim head coach. Then Saturday benched quarterback Sam Ehlinger and turned the offense back over to veteran Matt Ryan. And then the floundering Colts went into Las Vegas and beat the Raiders. Ryan played arguably his best game as a Colt, completing three quarters of his passes and posting a passer rating just south of 110. Indianapolis also got a big game from star running back Jonathan Taylor, who picked up 147 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Much was made of Saturday’s lack of coaching experience heading into his debut. But he told reporters that he was confident that the Colts would answer the bell. “In truth, I felt very at peace,” Saturday said. “I felt like we had a very good plan in place. I felt like all the men who I had talked about empowering and giving them the ability to do what they could do exceptionally well, they all stepped up. It’s an incredible day. It’s one win but, heck, they’re hard to get in this NFL.” “The NFL is weird. Just when something seems obvious, the opposite happens,” Sobleski said. “The Colts had no right to win a game after firing Reich on Monday and inserting the completely unproven Saturday as interim head coach. Yet Indianapolis played a more sound and physical brand of football for its new leader, albeit against the floundering franchise that is the Las Vegas Raiders. “However,” he continued, “A short-term bump isn’t the same as sustained improvement. Let’s see how the Colts fare when the schedule becomes far more difficult with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys as two of the team’s next three opponents before its bye.”

Pro Football Network has the Colts at 22:

The Colts had one of the wildest weeks I can remember. Capping it off with a win has to feel sweet for the organization and for the fanbase. Making Jeff Saturday the interim head coach was a controversial decision, but winning will make them feel a lot better about the decision.

Jonathan Taylor finally got going for the first time this season, and Matt Ryan had an efficient day under center. How things progress in Indianapolis will be fascinating to follow. They’re in uncharted territory.