Colts fire head coach Frank Reich after 26-3 loss to the Patriots

The Indianapolis Colts have made a major personnel change just one day after their 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Head coach Frank Reich, who has led the team since the 2018 season, has been fired.

Reich is leaving the Colts with a 40-33-1 regular season record and 1-2 performance in two playoff trips. Him losing his job is the latest and most prominent development in what had been a disappointing season for Indianapolis so far.

Coming off a 9-8 campaign, the team made a major investment in acquiring Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. However, Ryan was benched after seven games, with offensive coordinator Marcus Brady getting fired one week later.

The changes in personnel did not result in changes in offensive success. The Colts continued to play disappointing football on that side of the ball, with the loss to the Patriots the final straw: Indianapolis was unable to get anything going against New England’s defense, scoring just three points off a turnover and gaining an average of a mere 2.0 yards per play.

“The offensive performance, that’s why I was brought here,” Reich said after the game. “That’s my responsibility. 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.”

Now, Colts owner Jim Irsay has decided to give somebody else the opportunity to put “guys in a good position” moving forward. At 3-5-1, Indianapolis is still second in the AFC South and currently the No. 10 seed in the AFC playoff picture.