Jeff Saturday has never coached above the high school level, and the new Indianapolis Colts head coach is trusting assistant quarterback coach Parks Frazier to be his offensive playcaller.

First reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Frazier, 30, has never performed the role of playcaller before at any level, rising through the ranks with the Colts after playing quarterback at Murray State University.

He graduated with a degree in computer science and is considered one of the leaders among the staff in the areas of technology in data.

It continues a meteoric rise for Frazier, who was former head coach Frank Reich's assistant in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, before being promoted to quality control coach in 2020, and promoted again to assistant quarterback coach in 2021. Reich was also the officiant at Frazier's wedding.

Head coach Saturday reportedly spent Monday interviewing members of the staff for the role of offensive playcaller, and after considering quarterback coach Scott Milanovich, opted to instead appoint Milanovich's assistant.

Another factor that was said to play into the decision was that Frazier has worked closely with young quarterback Sam Ehlinger since he was drafted last year, and with Ehlinger set to start the remainder of the season, their chemistry was viewed as a plus.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has vehemently defended his decision to appoint Jeff Saturday as interim head coach and stated "I'm glad he doesn't have any NFL experience."

The Colts fired Frank Reich on Monday and announced that former Pro Bowl center Saturday will take over.

Saturday has no NFL or college coaching experience and had been working as a consultant for the Colts as well as an analyst for ESPN since retiring from the NFL following the 2012 season. 

Irsay revealed the 47-year-old, who played for Indianapolis from 1999-2011 before joining the Green Bay Packers, will be in charge "for eight games, hopefully more" during a press conference on Monday.

Eyebrows have been raised over the appointment of Saturday, but Irsay thinks it will prove to be a masterstroke.

"Want to bet against this guy?" Irsay said. "Put your money down. [I'd] love to see it, because I know what he's about."

He added: "I'm glad he doesn't have any NFL experience. I'm glad he hasn't learned the fear that's in this league, because it's tough for all our coaches. They're afraid. They go to analytics and it gets difficult.

"He doesn't have all that. He doesn't have that fear. And there was no other candidate. We were fortunate he was available. And he has tons of experience. He knows this game inside and out with relationships with coaches and players.

"I understand that he's fully capable of doing this."

The Colts relieved Reich of his duties after Sunday’s 26-3 defeat at the New England Patriots dropped the team to 3-5-1. Indianapolis are last in the NFL with 14.7 points per game. 

Irsay felt he had to act following a poor start to the season.

"There's no rule book that tells you, 'Now you should make a change,'" Irsay said. "It's something from being in the league 52 years. It's intuitive."

Irsay said general manager Chris Ballard, who joined him at the press conference along with Saturday, will stay on.

The Indianapolis Colts made a stunning decision on Monday by naming former Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday as interim head coach after firing Frank Reich. 

Saturday has no NFL or college coaching experience and had been working as a consultant for the Colts as well as an analyst for ESPN since retiring from the NFL following the 2012 season. 

The 47-year-old Saturday played for Indianapolis from 1999-2011 before his final season with the Green Bay Packers in 2012.

He earned six Pro Bowl selections and was named a first-team All-Pro twice in his career. Saturday helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI, their first title since leaving Baltimore for Indianapolis, at the end of the 2006 season.

The Colts fired Reich on Monday after Sunday’s 26-3 defeat at the New England Patriots dropped the team to 3-5-1. Indianapolis are last in the NFL with 14.7 points per game. 

Reich went 40-33-1 with the Colts after they hired him prior to the 2018 season. Indianapolis advanced to the playoffs twice during his tenure, reaching the AFC Divisional Round in 2018 before losing in the Wild Card Round in 2020. 

The Indianapolis Colts have fired head coach Frank Reich.

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.

Jonathan Taylor has been ruled out for the Indianapolis Colts' Week 9 clash with the New England Patriots, head coach Frank Reich announced on Friday.

The running back is out with an ankle injury and is one of four absentees against the Patriots, along with cornerback Tony Brown (hamstring), quarterback Matt Ryan (shoulder) and linebacker Grant Stuard (pectoral).

Deon Jackson filled in for Taylor in his previous absences in Weeks 5 and 6, rushing 25 times for 104 yards and a touchdown, as well as catching 14 passes for 108 yards in those two games.

He faces fresh competition in the backfield, however, following the arrival of Zack Moss – who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday that saw Nyheim Hines depart, with the Colts also earning a conditional sixth-round pick for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Moss had limited opportunities on the ground in Buffalo, recording 17 carries for 91 yards, and has not played since Week 5.

The Colts are on a two-game losing streak and sit 3-4 on the season, second in the AFC South behind the 5-2 Tennessee Titans.

The Buffalo Bills have traded for Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines, striking a last-minute deal on the NFL's trade deadline day.

On Monday, it was widely reported that several teams were interested in a move for Hines, with the Colts heading into the second half of the season with a disappointing 3-4-1 record.

Buffalo then confirmed the trade in the final minutes before Tuesday's deadline, adding another offensive weapon for quarterback Josh Allen following a stellar start that has them top of the AFC with a 6-1 record.

In exchange, they have sent running back Zack Moss — a third-round pick in the 2020 draft — and a conditional 2023 sixth-round pick to the Colts.

A fourth-round pick in 2018, Hines has so far tallied 1,205 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, as well as 235 receptions on 300 targets for 1,725 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his career.

Last season, Hines turned 15 of his 40 receptions into a first down while averaging seven yards after the catch per reception, and it is his receiving upside that the Bills will be looking to consistently harness as they aim to atone for the playoff heartbreak of the previous two seasons and end their wait for a first Super Bowl title.

Matt Ryan has vowed to embrace his new backup role after the Indianapolis Colts opted to make Sam Ehlinger their starting quarterback.

The Colts are currently 3-3-1 for the campaign, and Ryan – a postseason acquisition from the Atlanta Falcons – has thrown a league-high nine interceptions. 

Ryan threw two interceptions – one of which was returned 76 yards for a touchdown – during the Colts' 19-10 loss to their AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

On Monday, head coach Frank Reich revealed the team's plan to make Ehlinger their starting QB for the rest of the season, and Ryan accepts that decision.

"It's not something I've dealt with [before], but I've been around a long time and seen that it happens," Ryan said.

"I've always preached that you've got to accept and embrace the role that they decide for you and try and be the best in that role that you can be. That's what I'll do.

"As a player, you just always anticipate, you're getting ready, you're going to go and so that's where your mindset's at. 

"There was a little bit of surprise and shock at the beginning, but it's a decision they had to make and, as a player, as a team-mate, you have to move forward and you've got to help out where you can."

Reich, meanwhile, has refuted the suggestion the decision to change quarterback means the Colts are giving up on the season. 

"I can tell you this for sure, nobody is waving the white flag," Reich said. "It's not in my DNA. It's not in our players' DNA. I would never do that in a million years. I just couldn't do that."

Ryan has completed 203 of 297 passes for 2,008 yards at a 68.4 per cent completion rate this season, with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also been sacked 24 times, tied for the second most in the NFL this season.

The Indianapolis Colts have seen enough of Matt Ryan and are making a change at quarterback.

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).

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' dismal season plumbed new depths as they remarkably lost 21-3 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Tom Brady's Bucs had slipped to 3-3 with last week's unexpected defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the team now have a losing record for the first time since the legendary quarterback lost his 2020 debut. Only in 2002, when he missed the playoffs, had Brady previously had a losing record at the end of Week 7.

This reverse was perhaps even more surprising than the Steelers upset, as P.J. Walker, Carolina's third-choice QB, led a Panthers team who had traded away star running back Christian McCaffrey this week.

Following that trade with the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Wilks, the interim head coach since Matt Rhule's October 10 firing, insisted: "There's no such thing as tanking when it comes to myself and the guys in that locker room."

The Panthers backed up that statement by dominating Brady and the Bucs, who were held to three points or fewer for the third time in their three seasons together. A Brady offense had three points or fewer only twice in his entire New England Patriots career.

The Bucs were scoreless through three quarters, in which time Carolina scored two touchdowns – Walker with a 20-yard completion to DJ Moore, before Chuba Hubbard, with just six carries through six weeks alongside McCaffrey, ran in from 17 yards.

Ryan Succop's field goal at the start of the fourth quarter was not to set the stage for a dramatic turnaround, as Walker's 29-yard pass to Tommy Tremble completed the job.

Rodgers also loses once more

Brady's fellow veteran Aaron Rodgers also dropped to 3-4 as the Green Bay Packers lost for the third week running, beaten 23-21 by the Washington Commanders.

The Packers have suffered three straight defeats for the first time since 2018, with Rodgers unable to rally late on after a first half in which he had only 47 passing yards – his second-lowest career mark after 15 or more attempts before halftime.

Dak back but defense dominates

Dak Prescott returned from injury as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions 24-6, although the victory owed more to running back Ezekiel Elliott and the team's defense than their QB. Prescott threw for 207 yards and a TD, as Elliott ran in for a pair of scores while Jared Goff was sacked five times and picked off twice.

Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals' QB, was far more influential as he threw for 481 yards and three TDs in a 35-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons. That yardage ranks third in a regular season Bengals game all-time, although the 525-yard record already belongs to Burrow (v Ravens, 2021).

The Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry enjoyed a record-setting performance in victory over AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 128 yards. He has 1287 career rushing yards versus the Colts, the most of any Titan against any one team.

Not every NFL week is going to be filled with great games. The law of averages says there will be some clunkers.

But it only takes one game to spice up a Sunday, and Week 7 has such a contest in the form of a Super Bowl rematch.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV three seasons ago, the Niners failing to finish the job in Miami having led 20-10 with seven minutes remaining.

San Francisco's first chance for a measure of revenge comes on Sunday, when the 49ers host the Chiefs in a game SmartRatings sees as the best of the week.

SmartRatings is a Stats Perform AI-based platform that provides excitement ratings for sporting events, teams and players. The excitement scale, ranging from 0-100, is powered by complex algorithms that are predicated upon six primary variables: pace, parity, novelty, momentum, context and social buzz.

The weight of each variable is dynamic and adapts as a season progresses. The excitement scale translates to the following general sub-ranges: 0-39 (Dull Game), 40-64 (OK Game), 65-84 (Good Game), 85-100 (Great Game).

Here, we take a look at Chiefs-49ers clash in the Bay Area and two other games viewed as the most exciting of Week 7 and the key matchups that could decide them.

Green Bay Packers @ Washington Commanders

SmartRating: 54

Win Probability: Packers 74.2%

Key Matchup: Allen Lazard vs. Washington cornerbacks

Randall Cobb's injury means Aaron Rodgers has even fewer receivers he can trust, so Lazard can expect plenty of targets to come his way as the Packers look to end a two-game losing run.

The numbers suggest Lazard will be able to find joy against a vulnerable Washington secondary.

Lazard has won his matchup with a defender, which Stats Perform labels as a 'burn', on 21 of his 32 targets. His burn rate of 65.6 per cent is above the league average of 60.6 for receivers with a minimum of 20 targets.

He has produced a big play on 12 of those targets, good for a big play rate of 37.2 that is 10th among wideouts (min. 20 targets).

Washington's starting corners, Benjamin St. Juste and Kendall Fuller, have allowed 12.27 and 13.15 burn yards per target respectively -- the average for corners with at least 20 targets is 10.05.

Both have given up a big play on over 30 per cent of their targets -- St. Juste (31.3%), Fuller (36%) -- at a position where the average is 25.5. In other words, Rodgers and Lazard should theoretically be able to thrive against both starting corners. If they do, the Packers' passing game might finally get on track and boost Green Bay's hopes of a deep playoff push many anticipated before their underwhelming start.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

SmartRating: 60

Win Probability: Colts 54.4%

Key Matchup: Jeffery Simmons vs. Quenton Nelson

The AFC South is turning into a dogfight, with the 3-2 Titans leading the 3-2-1 Colts by half a game going into this divisional clash.

For the Colts to make sure the tie with the Houston Texans that separates them and the Titans does not prove costly down the stretch, they need to knock off Tennessee.

Doing that will involve stopping Jeffery Simmons, who has been a force on the interior of the Tennessee defense.

Simmons has beaten a pass protector on 18 of his 23 pressures this season. Only four interior defensive linemen have defeated a blocker on a pressure more often.

However, the Colts have a left guard in Quenton Nelson who has once again been one of the NFL's elite at his position in 2022.

Nelson has allowed a pressure on just 3.1 per cent of his pass protection snaps, giving him the sixth-best pressure rate among guards with at least 100 snaps this season.

The Colts will at least need to slow down Simmons for their passing game to prosper as it did against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the heavyweight battle between two former first-round picks in the heart of the trenches could well decide who takes command of the division.

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Francisco 49ers

SmartRating: 71

Win Probability: Chiefs 50.7

Key Matchup: Fred Warner vs. Chiefs offense

A Super Bowl rematch between two teams coming off losses was made spicier with the news of San Francisco's blockbuster trade for running back Christian McCaffrey on Thursday.

But McCaffrey is unlikely to have much of an impact if he does play on Sunday given the limited time he has had to absorb the 49er playbook.

More key to the 49ers' hopes of at least partially avenging their Super Bowl collapse is the performance of a player who intercepted Mahomes in that game, Fred Warner.

The 2020 first-team All-Pro is the organisational heartbeat of the 49er defense, the man who plays a pivotal role in ensuring DeMeco Ryans' group is ultra-disciplined and consistently in the right position to make plays.

That discipline fell down in Week 6 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons, in which an extremely banged-up defense struggled to handle the Falcons' array of motions and zone-read runs involving quarterback Marcus Mariota.

San Francisco will get back a host of players from injury this weekend and the defense must do a better job of handling motion against an offense that heavily relies on it and will have to be alert to Mahomes' running threat, which for defenses is a frustrating complement to the wondrous things he can do throwing the ball.

Still, with no Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs' avenues to explosive plays are not as plentiful as they once were, and the 49ers will likely approach Kansas City in a similar way to the Buffalo Bills defense last week, leaning on two-high safety zone coverages in an attempt to force Mahomes to attack underneath.

Warner has allowed receivers to get open in zone coverage on just 10.87 per cent of his zone plays, his zone open rate the best in the NFL among linebackers. With his acumen in that area of the game and the athleticism he possesses to run downfield with Mahomes' primary target Travis Kelce, a bounce-back effort from Warner will be crucial to San Francisco's hopes of overturning odds that are slightly in Kansas City's favour.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has become the first NFL owner to back the removal of Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder. 

"I believe there’s merit to removing him," Irsay told reporters gathered for the NFL owners meetings in New York on Tuesday. "There’s consideration that he should be removed."

His comments come as Snyder faces several scandals and investigations into workplace conduct in Washington. The league has been investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and financial impropriety. 

Removing Snyder would be unprecedented and requires 24 votes from the other owners. 

"I think potentially there could be, but we’ll see," Irsay said when asked if at least 24 owners would vote for removal. 

"It’s something we have to review, we have to look at all the evidence and we have to be thorough and it’s something that has to be given serious consideration.

"I believe in the workplace today, the standard that the shield stands for in the NFL, that you have to stand for that and protect that. I just think once owners talk among each other they will arrive at the right decision."

Snyder’s problematic ownership became an issue again last week when ESPN reported, citing anonymous sources, that he has hired private investigators and told people he has enough information to expose fellow owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The Commanders released a statement saying the Snyders will not sell the team. 

"It is highly inappropriate, but not surprising, that Mr. Irsay opted to make statements publicly based on falsehoods in the media,'' the statement said.

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Irsay decided to go public with his statement today, while an investigation is in process, and the team has had no opportunity to formally respond to allegations.

"The Commanders have made remarkable progress over the past two years. We are confident that, when he has an opportunity to see the actual evidence in this case, Mr. Irsay will conclude that there is no reason for the Snyders to consider selling the franchise. And they won't.'' 

Snyder then issued a second official statement addressing specific allegations made by the ESPN article, which he said contained "false and malicious statements".

"There is one allegation in the ESPN article that I feel it is important to address immediately," it says. "The article cited unnamed sources who said: 'they've been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners' and Commissioner Goodell.

"That is patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously. I have never hired any private investigator to look into any owner or the Commissioner. I have never instructed or authorised my lawyers to hire any private investigator on my behalf for any such purpose. And I never would."

Tanya Snyder, the team's co-CEO, and Commanders president Jason Wright are representing the team at this week's owners' meetings. 

Kenny Pickett could not finish his second NFL start after going into concussion protocol, but the Pittsburgh Steelers ensured their quarterback could celebrate an unlikely first win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pickett – the first QB off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft – started for the first time in last week's big defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

But the rookie bounced back in some style against Tom Brady, securing a narrow lead before exiting the game midway through the third quarter. The Steelers protected that advantage to win 20-18.

Pickett had thrown his first career touchdown pass to Najee Harris on Pittsburgh's first drive.

A sloppy end to the first half allowed the Bucs to close the gap, but they headed in at halftime without having scored a TD – a first for a Brady team against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh lifted their game again following the restart, trading field goals before a hit on Pickett saw him leave the game, and was then ruled out.

Mitch Trubisky picked up the baton, though, connecting with Chase Claypool for another TD before Brady and Leonard Fournette belatedly responded.

A successful two-point conversion would have tied the game with time left for the Bucs to win it, but Brady's attempt was batted away, and Trubisky saw out only a second Steelers win of the year.

Another New York defeat for Packers on return to Lambeau

The Green Bay Packers gave up a home game to play in London for the first time in franchise history last week, losing to the New York Giants. And a return to Lambeau Field did little to lift Aaron Rodgers and Co., who fell to 3-3 with a 27-10 home loss to the New York Jets.

In fact, the Packers crowd appeared to turn on their team when a blocked punt gifted the Jets – now 3-0 on the road to start a season for the first time since 2010 – a two-TD lead their opponents could not recover from.

The Giants built on their upset of the Packers by doing the same to the Baltimore Ravens. They had trailed Green Bay 20-10 at halftime in Week 5 and were this time down by the same score in the fourth quarter, recovering for a 24-20 win to move to 5-1.

The Atlanta Falcons lost in Week 5 but also had momentum to carry into a matchup with the San Francisco 49ers after a 15-point fourth quarter against the Bucs. Following five straight games decided by seven points or fewer, the Falcons coasted to a 28-14 success.

Ryan extends Jags' miserable road run in AFC South

The Jacksonville Jaguars have not won a road game against an AFC South rival since 2017, a losing sequence of 13 games heading into Sunday's trip to the Indianapolis Colts.

It appeared as though Trevor Lawrence was to lead the Jags to a long-awaited win when the Colts trailed by a point at the Jacksonville 33 with just 23 seconds to play.

But Matt Ryan, having earlier passed Dan Marino (61,361) to climb to seventh all-time for passing yards, completed a pivotal TD pass to Alec Pierce to prolong the Jags' misery.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson accepted the lion's share of blame for his side's 12-9 overtime loss at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

Wilson completed 21 of 39 passes for 274 yards and two interceptions in Thursday's game, with the second interception proving especially costly late in the fourth quarter.

With less than two and a half minutes remaining, leading 9-6, the Broncos opted to pass the ball to try to seal the game, but instead Wilson took a shot at the endzone and was picked off by former defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore.

The Colts ended up driving down the field to tie the game as time expired, before kicking another field goal on the first drive of overtime to put the pressure back on the Broncos.

Wilson completed long passes to Jerry Jeudy and Mike Boone to move inside the 10-yard line, but when faced with a fourth-and-one at the five-yard line, they decided to go for it instead of kicking for the tie.

The final throw of the game was broken up once again by Gilmore in the endzone, relegating the Broncos to a 2-3 record with one of the worst offenses in the NFL in the first year of Wilson's five-year, $242million contract.

Speaking after the game, Wilson did not hide from his struggles, saying he needs to figure it out in a hurry.

"It's very simple, at the end of the day I've got to be better, I've got to play better," he said. "This team, our defense played their butts off tonight, we had some key, good drives and we moved the ball into the red zone, but we didn't get to capitalise on some of them.

"At the end of the day, those two interceptions can't happen. Can't happen. I let the team down tonight, but the good thing is, one thing I know about myself is I'm going to respond – I don't know any other way.

"I always believe in myself, I always believe in this team and what we can do, and what I can do.

"When you play this game, the one thing you know is you're going to go through adversity, and with adversity you get a choice. I'm always going to choose to understand that adversity is just temporary, and you're going to overcome the obstacles and battles.

"We're all working together, we're all still together and focused on trying to do whatever it takes. It starts with me, and I'll make sure I do that."

Touching on the final play, Wilson said it was the right decision to go for it.

"We had a good play-call on, we went to Courtland [Sutton] there and the guy [Gilmore] made a good play," he said.

"I was ready to move around if we needed to – we came up with a big fourth-and-two a couple drives before – so we went for it.

"We didn't want to end in a tie, we wanted to try and win the game. That was our mentality. I think coach made a good call, I think I've got to find a way to make a play, whatever it takes.

"The thing about close games… is it comes down to finding a way. We've found a way before, but this time we didn't."

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett also accepted blame for Wilson's struggles, saying he needs to figure out how to get his star quarterback into a rhythm and get points on the board.

"We want to always try to get him into a rhythm, and I didn't feel like we were able to get him into that," Hackett said. "It starts with me, to be able to get him into that rhythm with the receivers and tight ends.

"There were a couple of opportunities – we had a couple of drops again, and a couple of penalties – we keep continually hurting ourselves, and I think that's the thing that's frustrating.

"We need to address it as an offense, and we need to fix that, because the performance from the defense was spectacular, and we're wasting those great opportunities to go win a football game."

Hackett also said he did not regret his final play-call, calling it "a good decision".

"We wanted to win the game," he said. "We hadn't moved the ball very well the whole night, and I thought we had a spectacular drive to get all the way down there.

"It ended up being fourth-and-one, we got the 'go' to go for it, and I thought that was a good decision. We wanted to put the ball in Russell's hands and call a play that we know he really likes – and it didn't work out.

"The timeout before was to get a feel for what they were doing, and the run did not look as good as we hoped it would have, and it gave us a chance with Russell. That's all you can ask for in that situation to win the game."

The Indianapolis Colts grinded out a gritty 12-9 overtime win on the road against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, with neither team scoring a touchdown in the game.

In an ugly offensive showing, the teams combined for 12 punts, six fumbles and four interceptions, heading into halftime with a 6-3 Broncos lead thanks to a pair of Brandon McManus field goals. 

The Broncos had a chance to run out the clock and ice the game, but instead called a pass play, with quarterback Russell Wilson throwing his second interception of the game to keep the Colts alive.

They would march down the field for a Chase McLaughlin field goal with five seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 9-9 and force overtime, and he would kick his fourth field goal of the night in overtime to take the lead.

Needing a field goal to extend the game or a touchdown to win it, the Broncos finally mounted a strong drive with long completions to Melvin Gordon and Jerry Jeudy to move into the redzone. When presented with a fourth-and-one on the five-yard line, they went for it instead of kicking another field goal to tie, and failed to convert a pass into the endzone.

It was a miserable day for both quarterbacks as their offensive lines struggled to keep them upright, with the Broncos sacking Matt Ryan six times while Wilson absorbed four sacks of his own. Ryan finished up completing 26 of 41 passes for 251 yards and two interceptions, while Wilson completed 21 of 39 for 274 yards and two interceptions.

Defensively, Caden Sterns had both interceptions for the Broncos, while teammate Bradley Chubb had two-and-a-half sacks, but Colts cornerback and former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore proved to be the game-winner.

Gilmore secured the crucial interception to give the Colts a chance, and was then credited with his second pass break-up on the final play of the game to deny the Broncos the winning touchdown.

The Indianapolis Colts have ruled running-back Jonathan Taylor out of contention for Thursday's clash against the Denver Broncos due to an ankle injury.

Taylor suffered a twisted ankle in Sunday's defeat to the Tennessee Titans but was hopeful that he would be able to feature in the opening game of Week 5.

"I definitely do plan to play, but if you can't go you can't go. That's why you have to get as much treatment as you can," he said on Tuesday.

However, the Colts announced on Wednesday that Taylor was among four players officially listed as out for the meeting in Denver, alongside safety Julian Blackmon (ankle), linebacker Shaquille Leonard (concussion/nose/back) and defensive end Tyquan Lewis.

Nyheim Hines is likely set to see increased usage on the ground in Taylor's absence, having largely been an aerial presence for the Colts this season – just 11 of his 124 yards in 2022 coming from rushing plays.

The Colts stand 1-2-1 for the season ahead of facing the Broncos, who they boast a 7-3 record against from their last 10 meetings.