“This was INEVITABLE”: The Indianapolis Colts bench QB1 Matt Ryan for the rest of the season, Sam Ehlinger to take over
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Matt Ryan leads the NFL in all the wrong stat categories.
We may have just witnessed Matt Ryan play the last game of his NFL career. The former league MVP signed with the Indianapolis Colts this offseason and was set to make $29 million if he were to play out the entire 2022 season. However, this season has not gone the way he had anticipated. Following the painful loss to the Tennessee Titans, Ryan was diagnosed with a Grade 2 separated shoulder injury. The quarterback was in so much pain that he could not put his shirt on in the locker room.
Was this why the Indianapolis Colts decided to move on from Matt Ryan? No, this was just the tip of the iceberg. The veteran quarterback had not been living up to the expectations that owner Jim Irsay and Head Coach Frank Reich had of him. Following the loss to the Titans, Reich went up and assured the media that Ryan will continue to be their guy for the remainder of the season. But later that night, after having a lengthy discussion with Irsay, the duo concluded that his time as QB1 was done as per Nate Atkins.
Matt Ryan leads the league in interceptions and fumbles this season:
Matt Ryan has had nothing short of an underwhelming season this year. He leads the NFL with 9 interceptions, 11 fumbles, and has taken a beating by the defenses that he has played against. He has been sacked 24 times totally in just 6 games. At 37, he has been hit 59 times, which is not good for any quarterback, let alone a veteran of his age and build.
It is not entirely Ryan’s fault that the Colts have failed this season. Indy has not been able to hit the ground running with its run game led by Jonathan Taylor. Their offensive line has not done its job and protected the quarterback, which is why Ryan has had to do everything in his power to get rid of the ball within moments.
Indy has been adopting a trial-and-error approach when it comes to their offensive line. In the last five games, the team has started the game with five different combinations of linemen. The team has relied largely on its run game, but this season; they have attempted to mix it up and turn to their passing game. There have been bouts where this has worked, but nothing has been consistent with them.
Matt Ryan is, unfortunately, the scapegoat in between all of this. He is a problem and his play is concerning, but replacing him does not solve anything. Frank Reich has a terrible track record with quarterbacks. In the last 5-years, under former HC Chuck Pagano and Reich, the team has been consistent at only one thing, changing quarterbacks.
With Sam Ehlinger replacing Matt Ryan, Indy will have their 7th quarterback in 5 years. Sam Ehlinger was the sixth-round draft pick in 2021. He has played 18 snaps but has never actually thrown a pass. Indy has Nick Foles as the backup on their depth chart. However, they are willing to start Ehlinger to determine his potential. Fans reacted to the benching of Ryan on Twitter:
How does he still have a job?
Both sides did not live up to their end of the bargain, Matt Ryan expected to have a supportive offensive line and a sound running game in Indy but that did not happen.
It is terrible to see this.
The amount of hits he has taken this year for his age is just dangerous.
This may be it for Matt Ryan’s career. The 15-year veteran who has thrown for over 59,000 yards and has been to 4-Pro Bowls, won an Offensive Player of the Year award, the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and a regular season MVP award. He led the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2017, one of the most historic finals in the history of the NFL. Despite getting off to a racing start and leading the game 28-3, the Falcons ended up blowing their lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots who came back and beat them 34-28.
If this is how Matty Ice’s career is set to end, it is unfortunate. The quarterback did not deserve to go out this way after having such an illustrious NFL career. This seems to be the underlying theme of this season as we are witnessing seasoned quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Matt Ryan deteriorate. The Indianapolis Colts are unlikely to notice any significant changes with Ehlinger as their QB1. The problem is Head Coach Frank Reich and until that is dealt with, Indy will be nothing short of a graveyard for the careers of seasoned quarterbacks.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2235 Articles Published)