Indianapolis - 3, Los Angeles - 20
JEFF SATURDAY: All right. Quick deal on injuries. Ash, obviously, out with the concussion. He's in evaluation. And Isaiah with a knee. So don't really have any more information on any of those guys. I don't think either of them returned. So getting them looked at.
You know, pretty simple: Can't turn it over. Got to convert on third downs offensively, get them off the field and, you know, can't leave the defense on the field. And when they are, they got to get off on third downs. So didn't do enough to get it done. And, unfortunately, that's the way it turns out.
Q. Do you guys have any answers on offense with two games left?
JEFF SATURDAY: I mean, you keep doing what you're doing. You know, we -- again, we started out -- I thought we had some shots early. Obviously, the turnovers hurt you. And they kind of dissuade you from challenging it.
And then, as they played that, you know, holding the ball, not seeing it, you know, then you're get behind the chains. We ran the ball well, but when you're -- you know, when it's second and 14, it's hard to -- you know, it's hard to stay in those things.
So just kind of the flow of the game. We just -- you know, again, we say it every week, but self-inflicted wounds. You get behind the chains, it's hard to catch back up.
I thought, again, we ran effectively. Couldn't stick with it because, again, we were hurting ourselves in different positions -- I mean, in different plays.
Q. Did you consider making a quarterback change from Nick Foles to Sam Ehlinger?
JEFF SATURDAY: Nah. I mean, no, it was -- I mean, you know, from the way we had practiced and the way Nick had been moving the football, you know, you still had a chance. We got down there on the fourth down, fourth and short inside the red zone. You know, you got to convert there. Looking for a touchdown because we hadn't moved it.
You know, you try to get some kind of spark. And, no, it's just -- you know, there's -- going to somebody else wasn't the answer right there.
Q. Is that the plan moving forward, keeping Nick Foles at quarterback?
JEFF SATURDAY: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't have any -- yeah, I don't have any reservations about that right now.
Q. You mentioned you were going to have a rotation at running back. It seemed like Zack Moss got 90 percent of the snaps.
JEFF SATURDAY: He was toting it. You know, like I said, it's a competition, right? So he was out there, he was running that thing hard in between the tackles, breaking tackles. Did a really good job. So, you know, I mean, Scottie does a great job of rotating them. But if he feels like one guy is rolling, he's going to keep them in.
So I don't get too involved in how he's going to separate them. But I know every time I looked up, Zack was breaking tackles and moving the pile. That's kind of how that went.
Q. Was that Scottie Montgomery's decision to stick with Zack Moss?
JEFF SATURDAY: Yeah, he does a rotation on guys. Yeah, so he'll -- you know, he picks and chooses when to make those rotations. I think he does a good job with it. But I though Zack did a really good job running hard and extending plays.
Q. You said you were going to stick with Nick Foles because he's moving the ball down the field?
JEFF SATURDAY: No, no, no. I just said I didn't think a change was going to -- I didn't think a change was going to help us move the ball any more effectively. Not just because of how he played. But I said the way he practiced and, you know, just trying to find the rhythm with the offense, I don't think making another change at this moment's going to do much to spark it.
Q. We all have seen what all these quarterbacks can do. Why not start Sam Ehlinger?
JEFF SATURDAY: Well, we -- I mean, Sam's had his shot, as well. I haven't -- I haven't -- I wasn't here when that happened. But, you know, as we look through there, we're trying to find the spark. As Nick was practicing, we felt like he gave us the best opportunity. Unfortunately, it wasn't his night tonight.
Q. You have 13 days left with these guys. What motivates this group moving forward?
JEFF SATURDAY: Yeah, I told them, man, just -- just the pride, effort. These guys lay it out there. I mean, I can't tell you -- I mean, I told them how grateful I am. The defense battling, that's tough. It's tough sledding man. Nothing -- you know, nothing to play for, down, offense isn't moving the ball. Them guys, they're still laying hat, playing hard. I take a lot of pride in that.
And I tell them, man, I'm so grateful and appreciative of how hard they do try to play. And, again, when all things are stacked against you, it shows you a lot about yourself. I think those guys, they are proving to themselves what they are as professional football players. And that's true pros. And I'm grateful for what they're doing.
Q. On Fourth and 1 for the second week in a row you went for it with a quarterback sneak and didn't get it. Was that the play call?
JEFF SATURDAY: Yeah, it was play one that -- fourth and inside a yard. At that point, that was the call. You know, I mean, we can go back and second-guess it. Again, we had converted whatever it was when I was here, five of five before, and we've lost -- we've missed the last two.
But I felt like, again, you know, that was going to give us the best the opportunity to get it. We don't get it. And, you know, to be fair to the referees, it's forward motion for those guys. So it wasn't where he stretches the ball, it's not where he gets the ball past. It's all those things. It's, Hey, this is where we thought he was down, even though he's laying on top of bodies.
And that's why they pulled the challenge flag. They said, We know he's across. That's not going to be how it's played out, right, he's on bodies. But we're trying to protect the QBs. So it is what it is.
Q. Aside from getting two wins, what do you try to get out of these last two weeks?
JEFF SATURDAY: Just consistency. Yeah, I want to see these guys plays a consistent, full game, right? Like, we've -- we've had 50-some odd minutes in different games where we're playing close but we're not quite finishing. Showing these guys how to finish. What it looks like when you start a game and finish a game, incompletion, and we just haven't put one together yet.
So, obviously, wins make everything better. Every one of them are going for it. But when you're trying to get a team in the habits of what does it look like each and every series.
And, again, we'll talk about this one as a complete situationally -- I mean, situational football -- I mean, situational football. When you look at it third down they convert, we don't. They continue to drive, sustain, keep you on the field, fatigue you, we do the opposite. We keep our defense.
So we'll talk about all those things and how you have to play together to ultimately pull these games out. And, unfortunately, the Chargers played better than we did in that area.
Q. You guys gave up seven sacks tonight. I know you need to watch the tape, but what do you think was the main issue?
JEFF SATURDAY: I'm going to look at it. I mean, I know -- I know -- I think the last one was pretty quick. But the other ones, they were -- you know, a lot of them were coverage. You see them, you know, holding the ball, looking down, pulling down, looking for his next progression.
And, again, you know, as these guys are figuring each other out, how long you're holding it, when the ball's coming out, where the -- where the routes are going to be and all of those things, it takes time. And, again, we just weren't efficient in it. Gave up -- and so it's either going to go turnover, incompletion, or sack.
And it's going to turn that away. And, unfortunately, we gave up more turnovers than sacks than we would like.
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