Can Matt Ryan take the Colts and Indianapolis back to the playoffs?
Matt Ryan, also known as “Matty Ice”, is one of the premier quarterbacks in the league. Known for his air-it-out passes, he had become accustomed to throwing the ball quite often. Ryan, drafted in the first round (3rd overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2008 NFL Draft, remained there for 14 years and posted a record of 120-102-1. Ryan became a top-tier quarterback, throwing for 300 yards on a regular basis. He led the team to a Super Bowl appearance in 2017, nonetheless came up short against the eventual winner New England Patriots.
With early success in Atlanta, some talked about a future Hall of Famer. The Falcons did not achieve much success as a team but he did achieve praise for his individual stats. Ryan could do no wrong but the team around him needed to get better. Years later, Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on March 22, 2022. The Ryan era was over. For the Falcons, his total stats included 223 starts, a 65.5 completion %, 60,087 passing yards, and 368 touchdowns.
Now Ryan will start a new chapter in his life with the Colts, one that he hopes finds them in the Super Bowl before he retires. The question is does he have anything left? The 6-foot-4 and 217-pound Ryan certainly does. In the Colts opening game of the 2022 season, he went 32-50, had a 64% completion %, 352 yards passing, and one touchdown in a tie against the Houston Texans. The four-time Pro Bowler is now in his 15th year as an NFL quarterback and is still going strong. Ryan is the leader of the offense and proved in his Colts debut he can still sling it.
As the starter of the Colts, he will have an impressive offensive unit. Behind him on the quarterback depth chart are veteran Nick Foles and youngster Sam Ehlinger. He has a young star and explosive running back in Jonathan Taylor to hand the ball off to and Michael Pittman Jr., a dynamic wide receiver, to throw the ball to. The Colts are set up nicely with young stars and veterans that could surprise some people.
Ryan does not want to just lead the offense. He wants to lead them to another Super Bowl appearance. Over the last eight seasons, the Colts have made the playoffs twice. Those resulted in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2018 Divisional Round, and in 2020 with a loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card game. Indianapolis certainly has the offensive weapons to make some noise this season. If the Colts can put it all together they can be dangerous.
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