Indianapolis Colts

Wentz was given a recovery timeline of five to 12 weeks this month after it was confirmed he would undergo surgery on a broken metatarsal.

But the former Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller was back on the practice field on Monday, raising hopes he could be under center when the Colts face the Seahawks on September 12.

"I'm optimistic, but we'll see how it responds," Wentz said. 

"It's going to be up to the doctors, for sure. At the end of the day, as long as there's nothing that I can do to injure myself and make it worse, I know I've played through a lot worse. But it's going to come down to what the doctors say."

The Colts face a race against time to get Wentz up to speed following his time on the sideline, though his familiarity with head coach Frank Reich should help him catch up.

Reich was the offensive coordinator in 2017 when Wentz was a frontrunner for the MVP award before a knee injury curtailed his campaign and backup Nick Foles improbably led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title.

The Colts traded a conditional second-round pick, which will become a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75 per cent of the snaps or he plays 70 per cent and Indianapolis reach the postseason, to the Eagles to acquire the 2016 second overall selection.

Last season, Wentz suffered the most sacks in the NFL (50) and was tied-first for interceptions with 15.

Per Stats Perform data, Wentz had the worst well-thrown percentage in the NFL in 2020.

He delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on just 68.8 per cent of his passes and threw an interceptable pass on 6.78 per cent of his attempts, with only three quarterbacks doing so more often.

Should he be unable to feature in the season opener, Jacob Eason or rookie Sam Ehlinger will start for the Colts, with that duo having split first-team reps in his absence.

Despite stuttering of late, Pittsburgh will now win the AFC North after a come-from-behind victory during Sunday's six-game early schedule.

Wins for the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears leave both franchises at the front of the queue to reach the postseason, and while the Cleveland Browns remain in the hunt, too, they blew a big opportunity as they went down to the New York Jets.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' playoff hopes had long since ended, but the franchise can now plan for their long-term future after a 14th straight loss means they will have the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

There was a record-breaking outing for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, while the evergreen Frank Gore reached a major milestone.

RECORD-BREAKING KELCE STARS FOR CHIEFS

So now it is official: Kansas City are number one in the AFC, the defending champions securing a bye with a 14th victory in the regular season.

It was far from straightforward, however, as they scrapped to a 17-14 triumph over the Atlanta Falcons, who saw Younghoe Koo miss a late field-goal attempt that would have forced overtime. 

Atlanta had led 14-10 until the Chiefs claimed the lead just prior to the two-minute warning, Patrick Mahomes hitting Demarcus Robinson for a 25-yard touchdown. The score was enough to make sure of Kansas City's 10th comeback win of the campaign.

Kelce also caught a touchdown pass as he made NFL history, surpassing George Kittle's single-season receiving yardage record for a tight end. It was his 11th TD reception on the year, matching the franchise record for the position, set by Tony Gonzalez back in 1999. 

BIG BEN CHIMES IN DURING COMEBACK

It seemed the Steelers were in danger of a fourth successive loss when they trailed the Colts 24-7 in the third quarter, only to sensationally respond with 21 unanswered points. 

An offense that had failed to reach 20 points in their four previous outings suddenly came to life, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster to complete a remarkable comeback. 

As for the Browns, they are still yet to officially end their long playoff drought after a shock loss on the road.  

Running back Gore became just the third player to reach 16,000 rushing yards in NFL history - a feat only previously achieved by Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726) -  as the Jets held firm in a dramatic finish, a Baker Mayfield fumble on a fourth-down scramble ending a potential game-tying drive for Cleveland. 

RAVENS SOAR, BEARS ROAR

The Ravens appear to be rolling into the postseason after stretching their winning streak to four games - another against Cincinnati next week and they will seal a wildcard berth. 

Lamar Jackson threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 victory against the fading New York Giants. The NFL's reigning MVP also ran for 80 yards, helping Baltimore reach 100 yards rushing on the ground for the 38th consecutive game. 

The Bears are also now in control of their own destiny. After the Arizona Cardinals lost on Saturday, Chicago thrashed the Jaguars 41-17 to improve to 8-7.

All they need do to make the playoffs is defeat divisional rivals Green Bay in Week 17. Jacksonville, meanwhile, can start planning for that first-round choice next April.

Week 16 scores

New York Jets 23-16 Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens 27-13 New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals 37-31 Houston Texans
Chicago Bears 41-17 Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs 17-14 Atlanta Falcons
Pittsburgh Steelers 28-24 Indianapolis Colts

The Chiefs fell to 2-1 with Sunday's 20-17 defeat to the previously winless Indianapolis Colts.

After dominating the Arizona Cardinals in a 44-21 Week 1 victory, Kansas City had just 20 points on offense in their 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and came up short against the Colts.

Only three times in Mahomes' career have the Chiefs scored fewer than 17 points in a regular season game.

The superstar quarterback completed only 20 of his 35 pass attempts for 262 yards and a single touchdown, also throwing an interception on the team's final drive as they sought to force overtime.

After scoring TDs on their first two visits to the red zone, the Chiefs returned only three points from their final two, with Matt Ammendola's fourth-quarter field-goal miss proving costly.

This inefficiency might be explained by the absence of Tyreek Hill – traded to the 3-0 Miami Dolphins – but Mahomes is not looking for excuses.

"I don't expect any growing pains," he said. "Obviously we have new players and you don't know everybody's going to respond to tough situations.

"We've got to gel all together. It starts with me. There were certain throws I was putting on guys' back hips instead of in front of him. There were certain situations where we were just barely off of it.

"Whenever you're playing a tough game like that, you have to execute at a higher level and we have to learn from it.

"Our schedule gets no easier. We have a hard game Sunday [against] Tampa next week with a great defense, so we have to get better quickly.

"And if we don't, we don't want these [losses] to start piling up. We want to make sure we get back on that winning train."

For the season, only the Detroit Lions (11) have scored more red zone TDs than the Chiefs (nine from 13 RZ drives), who rank eighth in red zone TD efficiency.

Last year, the Chiefs were 14th in efficiency, scoring 41 touchdowns from 68 red zone drives.

Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs improved to 13-1 thanks to a hard-fought win over the New Orleans Saints, who welcomed back Drew Brees.

Meanwhile, Murray and Jalen Hurts put on a show as the Cardinals overcame the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cleveland Browns took another step towards a playoff spot and the New York Jets' wait for a first win came to an end.

CHIEFS TOO GOOD FOR SAINTS AS BREES RETURNS

Mahomes and Brees both threw three touchdown passes as the Chiefs recorded a 32-29 victory.

A ninth straight win helped the Chiefs improve to 13-1, and they are on track to secure the top seed in the AFC.

Mahomes completed 26 of 47 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns, while he was sacked four times.

The Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to win six straight games by six points or fewer, as per Stats Perform.

Brees, returning from injury, made the worst start of his career by going 0-for-six. He finished 15 of 34 for 234 yards, three TDs and an interception.

The Saints (10-4) are ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) in the NFC South.

CARDINALS OVERCOME EAGLES IN THRILLER

Murray helped the Cardinals (8-6) remain on track for the playoffs with a 33-26 victory over the Eagles (4-9-1).

The Cardinals QB was 27 of 36 for 406 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing for 29 yards and a TD.

Making his second start, Hurts almost inspired the Eagles to another win, also throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another.

Murray and DeAndre Hopkins connected on a 20-yard pass with just over seven minutes remaining for what proved to be the game-winning score.

According to NFL Research, Murray is the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era aged 23 or younger to throw for 400-plys yards and have a 125-plus passer rating in a game. The previous three (Dan Marino, Jared Goff and Mahomes) reached the Super Bowl in that season.

BROWNS BOOST PLAYOFF CHANCES, JETS WIN

The Browns made it 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2007, brushing past the New York Giants 20-6.

Baker Mayfield starred, completing 27 of 32 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jets' wait for a first win of the season came to an end with an upset 23-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

However, the success hurt the Jets' chances of landing Trevor Lawrence in the draft, with the Jacksonville Jaguars (also 1-13) now in position to get the Clemson Tigers quarterback

Week 15 scores:

Green Bay Packers 24-16 Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-27 Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens 40-14 Jacksonville Jaguars
Dallas Cowboys 41-33 San Francisco 49ers
Indianapolis Colts 27-20 Houston Texans
Miami Dolphins 22-12 New England Patriots
Chicago Bears 33-27 Minnesota Vikings
Tennessee Titans 46-25 Detroit Lions
Seattle Seahawks 20-15 Washington Football Team
Arizona Cardinals 33-26 Philadelphia Eagles
New York Jets 23-20 Los Angeles Rams
Kansas City Chiefs 32-29 New Orleans Saints
Cleveland Browns 20-6 New York Giants

According to multiple reports, the Colts will send a third-round pick to the Falcons in exchange for the 2016 MVP.

It comes after the Colts parted with Carson Wentz, whom they acquired last year, after just one season, trading him to the Washington Commanders in a deal that saw the two franchises swap second-round picks and Indianapolis acquire a pair of third-rounders.

The Colts are viewed by many as having a roster ready to challenge for a deep playoff run, yet their inability to find an answer at quarterback following Andrew Luck's shock retirement in 2019 has prevented Indianapolis from reaching such heights.

Philip Rivers helped them to the playoffs in the 2020 season but retired after one year with Indianapolis. It was hoped Wentz's past relationship with Colts head coach Frank Reich would revitalise his career, yet a dismal end to the 2021 campaign in which they missed the playoffs after a blowout loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 helped convince Indianapolis to move on swiftly.

Ryan appears to have a much better chance of proving to be the solution for the Colts. Though Atlanta missed the playoffs last year with a 7-10 record, Ryan completed 67 per cent of his passes, his highest completion rate since 2018, for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns. He did, however, throw 12 interceptions.

He remains a very accurate quarterback, delivering a well-thrown ball on 80.7 per cent of his throws in 2021, according to Stats Perform data, tied for the sixth-best rate among QBs with at least 200 attempts.

No player in the NFL has thrown for more passing yards than Ryan's 59,735 since he entered the NFL as a first-round pick of the Falcons in 2008.

Prior to 2021, Ryan threw for 4,000 yards in 10 consecutive seasons, the high point coming in 2016 when he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

He threw for a career-high 4,944 receiving yards, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt, 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

However, that season ended in bitter defeat as the Falcons gave up a 28-3 lead in their Super Bowl LI loss to the New England Patriots. The Falcons have won just one playoff game since.

Given his achievements, a third-round pick seems like scant compensation for the 36-year-old, with the Falcons agreeing to a trade that will see them incur the largest dead cap hit in NFL history ($40.52million).

The Falcons, who decided against taking a quarterback with the fourth overall pick in last year's draft, are believed to be interested in signing former second overall pick Marcus Mariota as an immediate replacement for Ryan. Malik Willis, one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 class, was born in Atlanta and could be a developmental option for the Falcons with the eighth pick in this year's draft.

Atlanta had been interested in Deshaun Watson even before dealing Ryan, but he instead joined the Cleveland Browns in a trade with the Houston Texans.

Leonard also underwent an ankle operation in June after making 122 tackles in 2021 and being named to the All-Pro Team for the third time while earning his third Pro Bowl selection. 

The 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is expected to miss the beginning of training camp next month. 

"Not sure on the timetable now, but in my mind as long as he’s ready for the regular season, I'm not concerned," Reich said. 

Since being drafted by Indianapolis with the fourth pick of the second round (36th overall) in 2018, Leonard is second in the NFL with 538 tackles and tied for second in the league with 17 forced fumbles. 

Leonard’s 11 interceptions since the beginning of the 2018 season are the most by any linebacker in the NFL.

Wentz, who arrived at the Colts via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles during the offseason, sustained the injury late during Thursday's session, according to reports.

The 28-year-old has endured several injury problems since making his NFL debut with the Eagles, who drafted him second overall in 2016.

Indeed, he has started all 16 games in a season just twice in his career, while inconsistent form last term saw him benched in favour of rookie Jalen Hurts.

Wentz also missed the Eagles' triumph over the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LII with a torn ACL, left to watch on as back-up Nick Foles led the franchise to glory.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady told the media that the Colts are still assessing the extent of the damage.

"He's with the docs, trying to figure what out the process is," he said of Wentz.

"(We are) still evaluating what the next move is, how bad it is. Then we'll go from there."

The Colts, who reached the playoffs last season, step up their preparations for the 2021 campaign next month with pre-season games against the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

They begin the regular season at home against the Seattle Seahawks on September 12.

The Colts are benching Ryan and will start Sam Ehlinger for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders.

Ryan has a Grade 2 shoulder strain, but his demotion has nothing to do with the injury, as coach Frank Reich said turning the offense over to Ehlinger would have happened anyway regardless of Ryan's health.

"Right now the move is for Sam to be the starter for the rest of the season," Reich said, via the Colts' website.

Acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, Ryan surpassed Hall of Famer Dan Marino for the seventh-most passing yards in NFL history earlier this season, but the 15-year veteran leads the NFL with 11 fumbles and nine interceptions.

He threw a pair of interceptions – one of which was returned 76 yards for a touchdown – in Sunday's 19-10 loss to Tennessee, which dropped the Colts to 3-3-1 and 1.5 games behind the Titans for first place in the AFC South.

On the season, Ryan ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards (2,008) but 20th in QB rating (84.7) and 22nd in yards per attempt (6.76).

A sixth-round pick by the Colts in the 2021 draft, Ehlinger has yet to take a snap this season and has yet to throw a pass in the NFL. As a backup last season, he appeared on just three offensive plays.

The 24-year-old takes over an offense that ranks 17th in total yards (341.6 per game) and 29th in scoring (16.1 points per game).

Still in the process of confirming the tests, the Colts did not reveal whether any of the apparent positives were from their players.

The Colts are due on Sunday to host the Cincinnati Bengals at Lucas Oil Stadium, where there have been a limited number of fans at games.

A statement from the Colts on Friday read: "This morning, we were informed that several individuals within our organisation have tested positive for COVID-19. The team is currently in the process of confirming these tests.

"In the meantime, the practice facility will be closed and the team will work remotely while following NFL protocols.

"We are in communication with the NFL and will have more information when available."

The Colts are second in the AFC South at 3-2 following a 32-23 defeat to the Cleveland Browns last time out.

"Few things stir the human heart and soul like injustice," Reich said to reporters. "When we see it, feel it, experience it, it's heart-wrenching. It's not enough for a person who looks like me to say, 'I'm not racist.'

"This kind of talk and thinking, it typically lends itself to a posture of neutrality, indifference, and passivity. It's easy to be silent and do nothing, when it doesn't directly impact you. This attitude simply doesn't evoke any conviction about doing what is right, and standing up for the inherent dignity and rights of all people, no matter the colour of their skin."

Reich's comments follow a weekend of protests and riots in several American cities in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Floyd was an African American who died last Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the back of Floyd's neck while he lay handcuffed on the ground. Protesters are calling for an end of police brutality against minorities. 

"Racism is vile, deplorable, detestable," Reich said. "There's no form of it that is acceptable, and in no way can it be justified. Our black community has bore the brunt of this injustice far too long. 

"I believe that I — we — all have a personal responsibility to speak up, and to act in ways that build each other up, not tear each other down.

"I believe each one of us can make a difference if we're willing to grow personally and display the courage necessary for us to take steps of progress in this most important of issues."

The Colts released a statement regarding Floyd's death, and Reich said he supported it but also wanted to offer his personal views.   

Reich also said some Colts players have participated in peaceful protests but was not concerned about their well-being. 

"Sometimes, you have to take risks," he said.

Colts coach Frank Reich, however, believes Rivers will still be the team’s quarterback after the 2020 season. 

"I really believe it's Philip's intent to play multiple years," Reich said on a Monday conference call. "I personally believe he is more than capable of multiple years. But as far as how the actual contract gets worked out, it's the NFL, so we keep things realistic there. But I'm very optimistic it'll be a multi-year thing." 

Reich’s comments come after it was announced on May 8 that the 38-year-old Rivers would coach St Michael Catholic High School in Alabama after his retirement. 

Rivers, who spent his first 16 NFL seasons with the Chargers, contemplated retirement before agreeing to a one-year, $25 million deal with the Colts following a disappointing 2019. 

"It was a normal contract negotiation. There was push and pull on each side, a multi-year deal and this deal and trying to get numbers and everything to balance out right, and it finally just came down to what it was," Reich said.

"But I think the spirit of it was, 'Hey, we're in this together,' and as long as Philip wants to play, he wants to be here."

An eight-time Pro Bowler, Rivers, whose 59,271 passing yards and 397 passing touchdowns both rank sixth in NFL history, joins an Indianapolis team that went 7-9 in 2019 and has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons.  

Just hours after Jackson announced that he had asked the Baltimore Ravens to trade him, the Colts became the first franchise to declare their intentions to look into acquiring the former league MVP.

"Anytime a special player is available, which [Jackson] is, you've got to do the work," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Monday at the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix.

"I'm not going to get into deep discussions on where it's at or what we're doing or what we might do," Ballard said. "But what I'll tell you is he's a really good player, really special player. But you never know how any of this will work out.

"I think anytime at that position we have a chance to acquire a guy, you've got to do your work on it to see if it's doable," Ballard said. "Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.

"If you don't feel like you have one that can absolutely change the franchise in terms of leading you every year, I think you're always going to feel some pressure to get that player right."

Since Andrew Luck’s surprising retirement in 2019, the Colts have shuffled through a list of stop-gap options at quarterback, including Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan.

Jackson confirmed suspicions that his relationship with the Ravens has been fractured Monday when he announced in a statement on Twitter that he had requested a trade on March 2.

On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, meaning that other teams could sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Teams could offer more than two first-rounders to the Ravens as a part of any potential blockbuster trade.

Ballard said his team will do their "due diligence" to bring an answer at quarterback to the Colts – who own the fourth overall selection in next month’s draft – and had previously said the team would consider trading up for the right quarterback.

On Monday, Ballard made the case for drafting a quarterback outside the first round.

"What I would tell you is that there's good players in this draft at every level," Ballard said. "Everybody just talks about the top four [quarterbacks], but there's some more guys out there that are pretty good players.

"And I think history's shown – especially in the last few years with [Philadelphia Eagles quarterback] Jalen [Hurts] being one and [San Francisco 49ers’] Brock Purdy coming in and playing really well – they come at every level. So, we'll do our work on every one of them."

The Colts scored 24 unanswered points at LP Field to improve to 6-3 and condemn their divisional rivals to the same record.

Colts quarterback Philip Rivers went 29 of 39 for 308 yards and a touchdown and made some history in the process.

Nyheim Hines had rushing and receiving touchdowns as the Colts capitalised on the Titans' mistakes.

Titans star Derrick Henry had 103 rushing yards, while QB Ryan Tannehill was 15 of 27 for 147 yards and a TD.

The Titans got on the board when Tannehill found D'Onta Foreman to run in the opening TD.

Rivers then made history, passing Hall of Famer Dan Marino (61,361) to go into fifth for all-time passing yards in the NFL.

The QB helped the Colts draw level at 10-10, finding Hines – celebrating his 24th birthday – with a 13-yard TD pass.

But Jonnu Smith took a handoff and jumped into the endzone with three minutes remaining in the half to restore the Titans' lead.

While the Titans held out the Colts early in the third quarter, punter Trevor Daniel endured a couple of tough moments.

His 17-yard punt gave Indianapolis an opportunity they would not relinquish, Hines rushing in to give the Colts a 20-17 lead.

The Colts added to that when Daniel's punt was blocked by E.J. Speed, allowing T.J. Carrie to run in another touchdown.

Stephen Gostkowski missed his eighth field goal of the season – the most in the NFL – in the fourth quarter to further hurt the Titans' chances.

Indianapolis punished the Titans, Jacoby Brissett – coming into the game for Rivers – rushing over to make it 34-17 as the Colts eased to victory.

Indianapolis selected Hooker with the 15th overall pick in 2017, with Colts general manager Chris Ballard saying at the time that he "thought Hooker was the best athlete in the draft".

Hooker enjoyed a great start as a rookie with three interceptions in seven games, but his season came to an end early due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in his right knee.

Hooker then totalled just four interceptions in 27 games over the last two seasons while missing time due to injuries.

The 24-year-old sat out two-regular season games in 2018 with a hip injury before missing the Colts' 31-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round due to a foot problem.

Hooker was sidelined for three games last season with a torn meniscus in his knee.

Hooker has 116 tackles in 34 career regular-season games for the Colts, who used their third-round pick in this year's draft to select Utah safety Julian Blackmon.

Colts' MVP contender running back Jonathan Taylor was among five players confirmed earlier this week but he was joined by six other team-mates as the full NFC and AFC rosters were revealed on Wednesday.

Indianapolis also had center Ryan Kelly, guard Quenton Nelson, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, linebacker Darius Leonard, cornerback Kenny Moore II and special teams long snapper Luke Rhodes all selected, with the Colts enjoying a run of five wins in six games to sit second in the AFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady had already been named earlier this week for a record 15th Pro Bowl, with Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray and Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers joining him as NFC QBs.

The selected AFC quarterbacks were Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert, Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson and Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs and Chargers had six players selected in total, while the Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Bucs all had five representatives.

Four rookies were selected in Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater and Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

The NFC and AFC rosters are determined by a vote of the fans, players and coaches.

Indianapolis needed only to beat a two-win Jaguars team to secure their place in the postseason.

History, however, was against Frank Reich's team, the Colts having not won in Jacksonville since the 2014 season.

And the Jags' home hoodoo over the Colts continued as Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz imploded in a 26-11 defeat.

Wentz was sacked six times in a game the Jaguars led the entire way, rookie first overall pick Trevor Lawrence throwing multiple touchdowns for the first time since Week 1.

The dagger effectively came when Lawrence capitalised on Wentz's lone interception, the former Philadelphia Eagle picked by Jags linebacker Damien Wilson in the third quarter.

Lawrence then successfully handled a high snap from center, rolled to his right and lofted a three-yard pass to Marvin Jones Jr, who made a leaping grab in the back of the endzone.

The Colts were eliminated from the playoffs after the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens in overtime. The Steelers will qualify unless the Los Angeles Chargers' game with the Las Vegas Raiders ends in a tie.

Despite the win, the Jaguars claim the number one pick in the 2022 draft by virtue of the Detroit Lions' win over the Green Bay Packers, who rested players for much of the game.

Titans take one seed

The Kansas City Chiefs kept the pressure on the Titans with their win in Denver on Saturday, but Tennessee did not waste the opportunity to clinch the one seed, though they received a scare from the lowly Houston Texans.

Tennessee surged to a 21-0 lead, only for the Texans to respond with 18 unanswered points of their own. Ryan Tannehill's fourth touchdown pass, on which he hit Julio Jones for the receiver's first touchdown as a Titan, gave them breathing room that proved enough as they hung on for a 28-25 win after Danny Amendola's second touchdown reception frayed the nerves.

Watt ties sack record as Steelers stay alive

Ben Roethlisberger bid a tearful farewell to Heinz Field in the Steelers' home finale on Monday, but his likely final season in the NFL looks like being extended into the Wild Card round.

The Steelers fought back from 10-3 down to lead 13-10 on a Roethlisberger pass to Chase Claypool and, though Justin Tucker's field goal forced overtime, the leg of Chris Boswell had the final say, giving the Steelers a 16-13 victory in a game that saw T.J. Watt tie Michael Strahan's single-season sack record as he took his tally to 22.5.

With Chargers head coach Brandon Staley saying they would not play for a tie that would punch the postseason ticket for them and the Raiders, the Steelers' spot seems virtually assured.

Reich became the second coach to be fired in-season in 2022 on Monday following a dismal 3-5-1 start. Matt Rhule was the first, dismissed by the Carolina Panthers in October.

Indianapolis suffered a 26-3 defeat at the New England Patriots in what proved to be Reich's final game in charge.

Reich was hired in 2018 after Josh McDaniels went back on his decision to take the job.

While he was not the Colts' first choice, he initially enjoyed great success, leading Indianapolis to a 10-6 record in his first season. After beating the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Andrew Luck's shock retirement ahead of the 2019 season saw them take a step back and finish 7-9 and, though they got back to the playoffs with Philip Rivers at quarterback in 2020, the Colts' decision-making at the game's most important position following Luck exiting the stage played a crucial role in Reich's downfall.

Reich reunited with Carson Wentz in 2021 after the Colts gave up a first-round pick to land the quarterback he coached as the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator in 2017, when Wentz was in the MVP race before suffering a season-ending injury and the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl.

But Wentz has never since reached the same heights and represented a huge gamble by the Colts, one that backfired in Week 18 of last season when he and Indianapolis imploded in a loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, missing out on a playoff berth as a result.

The Colts subsequently traded Wentz this offseason and landed 2016 MVP Matt Ryan in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

However, a seemingly astute move proved a misguided one and Ryan was benched for Sam Ehlinger prior to a Week 8 loss to the Washington Commanders.

The quarterback switch has not yielded the desired results, with the Colts unable to overcome their lack of talent at the skill positions and regression by an offensive line that has received little investment at tackle.

The Colts are 30th in the NFL with an average of 4.77 yards per play, their efforts offering little help to a defense that is seventh by yards per play allowed.

Reich departs with a regular-season record of 40-33-1 and the Colts next face the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 2-6 under the leadership of McDaniels, in Week 10 of a season that looks set to end in a rebuild for the Colts.

Ballard added that the Colts are willing to be aggressive in trying to acquire a franchise quarterback this offseason, even if that means trading up from the fourth overall pick in April’s draft.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he said. "If we thought there's a player that we're driven to get that makes the franchise and the team better, that's what we would do.

"We understand the importance of the position. To get one that you can win with and to be right is the most important thing -- not if we take one or not. It's being right."

The franchise once fortunate enough to replace Peyton Manning with Andrew Luck under center has been searching for answers ever since Luck retired following the 2018 season.

Over the past four seasons, Ballard has brought in four different opening-day starters at quarterback – Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan – all with disappointing results.

"Looking back on it, when you're changing quarterbacks every year, it's tough," Ballard said. "It's tough on everybody. It's tough on the team. Not getting that position settled has a little something to do with [the team's record].

"I failed. I'm not going to sit up here and make excuses. I failed a lot of people."

The Colts find themselves behind only the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals in April's draft order, with only the Texans having a glaring need at quarterback.

If division rivals Houston and Indianapolis were to get into a bidding war for the top pick, however, the Texans would appear to have the advantage, holding three extra picks in the 2023 draft as a result of trading away embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns.

Remarkably, the AFC South strugglers only made matters worse as they threw away a 33-0 lead in a record-breaking defeat.

The Colts initially had an answer to their critics, building a big lead against the high-flying Vikings on the back of a brilliant first-half defensive performance.

But the latest miserable episode in this Indianapolis season – described as "heartbreaking" by interim coach Jeff Saturday – swiftly followed.

The Vikings rallied for the biggest comeback win in NFL history, first taking the game to overtime via a 22-point fourth quarter before Greg Joseph's field goal clinched victory and the NFC North title.

The Colts had given up 33 points in the fourth quarter of the previous week's defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, a desperate franchise record.

Indy's woes are on both sides of the ball, though, as Frank Reich's firing earlier this year came after a Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots in which 121 yards of total offense represented their worst performance since 1997.

"You give it literally everything you have, you've been through a whole lot of adversity," said Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin.

"We've been hearing everybody talk about us like we're a punch line and we took that very personally. I think you could tell by how we came out and played.

"For the game to go the way it did at the end, it's definitely a tough, tough pill to swallow."

Steichen was part of the staff that led the Eagles all the way to NFC Championship success and Super Bowl LVII, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Philadelphia's offense finished the regular season third in scoring (an average of 28.1 points per game), while Indianapolis were tied for 30th out of the 32 teams, with only the Denver Broncos (16.9) averaging lower than their 17.0 points per game.

The Colts had a season to forget overall, finishing on 4-12-1, losing their last seven games and 10 of their last 11.

Steichen replaces Frank Reich, who was fired midway through the 2022 season and has since taken the head coach role at the Carolina Panthers.

Coincidentally, Reich had also been Eagles OC before getting the top job with the Colts in 2018.

Jeff Saturday took interim charge after Reich's dismissal and had been in contention for the job permanently before Steichen's appointment was confirmed.

General manager Chris Ballard has previously said he will do "whatever it takes" to bring in a franchise quarterback, which will be music to Steichen's ears as he has previously helped develop top QBs such as Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert in his time with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Jalen Hurts at the Eagles.