The oddsmakers are not confident in Jeff Saturday taking the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs this season. After firing head coach Frank Reich on Monday morning, Colts owner Jim Irsay announced he was bringing in Saturday — who currently works as an analyst with ESPN — as the interim head coach through the end of the season. Let’s take a look at how this coaching shakeup impacts the Colts playoff odds.
Despite coming into the year as a betting favorite to make the postseason, the Colts are now +650 to reach the playoffs, and -1100 to be eliminated (per DraftKings).
Saturday has never been a coach at the NFL or collegiate level. He was a high school football head coach from 2017-2020, leading Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia to a 20-16 record overall. The School finished 3-7 in the final year of Saturday’s tenure.
While Saturday was hired from outside the Colts organization, the “Rooney Rule”, which makes teams interview minority candidates, doesn’t apply in this case.
“The rule does not apply to an interim head coach during the season,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT in an email. “It does apply after the conclusion of the team’s season. The club would have to fulfill the rule before hiring a full-time coach.”
Frank Reich took over as Colts head coach ahead of the 2018 season, and compiled a solid 40-33-1 record during his time at the helm. But his offense has been trending in the wrong direction for a while now, with the Colts’ issue magnified during a 26-3 loss against the New England Patriots in Week 9.
“Offensive performance, that’s why I was brought here. That’s my responsibility,” he said after the game. “So, we’ve got the players. We’ve got the players that are plenty good enough. I have to do a better job. It starts with me on offense. I need to do a better job getting the guys ready to play, putting guys in a good position to win and having answers when we face problems.”
Jeff Saturday will have plenty of question marks when he takes over as head coach. No coach on the staff has ever called offensive plays. The quarterback play between Sam Ehlinger and Matt Ryan has been dismal, and the team has been monitoring star running back, Jonathan Taylor‘s, injury status in recent weeks.
For Saturday and the Colts, it’ll be hard to find any answers before the end of the season. For more best bets and keeping track of the Colts playoff odds, be sure to visit the OddsShopper tool.
