Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday holds onto three timeouts in the fourth quarter as team's comeback plan blows up.
Mackenzie Salmon looks at some of the biggest risers and fallers in this week's USA TODAY Sports NFL power rankings.INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Ryan was off and running on another final-minute scramble, desperate to lead another comeback win, as interim coach Jeff Saturday pulled his microphone closer to his mouth for one of his first real decisions as an NFL coach.
He had three timeouts in his pocket. As Ryan lunged toward the first-down marker, he first had to see where the spot would be, and it would up three yards short. The time ticked below 50 seconds.Sign up for our NFL newsletter for exclusive content This was Saturday and Frazier trying to stick to who they were, even if they had to forge those identities on the fly three weeks ago. Saturday is a former 14-year center in the NFL, 13 with the Colts, and linemen love to run. Frazier likes to say he stays aggressive in his own ways, and he likes to show that aggressiveness can come through the run game. They know their best player is their running back.
But this forged identity isn't the only one in play for the Colts. They also have a quarterback in Ryan who has been through this far longer than they have, with 38 career fourth-quarter comebacks, good for the fourth-most in NFL history. He's led this Colts team on five such comebacks already this season, representing their four wins and a tie. He's been doing this, with this team, since Saturday was working in an ESPN studio.Ryan is a quarterback.
They have put together an ironic season through 12 games of high and low moments in these scenarios. They've come back for some thrilling late victories, like on Ryan's fade route to Alec Pierce to beat the Jaguars and the slant he threw to Parris Campbell to beat the Raiders.
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