'I knew everybody was with it and I felt like Matt gave us the best chance to win. 'I wanted to talk to the staff on Friday afternoon, but I knew what I was going to do,' he said of making the change. Regarding the move to reinstate Ryan as the starter, Saturday said his observations in practice during the week convinced him it was the right one. He also rushed for a touchdown in his first game back in three weeks. Ryan started the game, replacing Sam Ehlinger, and completed 21 of 28 passes for 222 yards. But the biggest lift arguably came from the surprise return of quarterback Matt Ryan the team previously said he would be benched for the remainder of the season. The Colts had to revamp their coaching staff on the fly this week, with Saturday mostly yielding the detailed work to the offensive assistants, including first-time playcaller Parks Frazier. And we made a couple plays there at the end that were spectacular.'

And who goes hardest, the longest ultimately wins. 'And I said it's going to come down to the last play. 'I just kept telling them, man, just keep pushing through,' Saturday said. Saturday implored his new players to be ready for a game that would be decided by a late play, and his projection proved true.Ĭornerback Stephon Gilmore, the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, defended a fourth-down pass in the end zone against Raiders All-Pro receiver Davante Adams with 52 seconds remaining to preserve the victory.

'Everybody from offense, defense and, obviously, on special teams, these guys, they rallied and it's a special moment for all of those guys. And I just could not be more appreciative of those guys and the way they played. I told the staff, the coaches, the players, the fortitude that they presented and the way they played today.

'I told the guys just all three phases was an incredible team effort,' Saturday said afterward. And while the Colts have seven games remaining, including one against the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, the win gave them a reprieve after a taxing few days.

Coach id lanyard