Horseshoe Huddle

Ryan Review: Colts’ QB Gives Team a Silver Lining in Tie vs. Texans

While it was not all good for Matt Ryan in his Colts debut, the quarterback showed why the Colts are so excited to have #2 under center.

Andrew Moore

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Another year, another new quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.

After one season with Carson Wentz at the helm, the Colts concluded that Wentz did not have a future in Indy. On March 9, Wentz was traded to the Washington Commanders for a 2022 second-round pick, a 2022 third-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick that will become a second-round pick if Wentz plays 70% of the offensive snaps.

Twelve days after dealing Wentz, the Colts traded a 2022 third-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Matt Ryan. Ryan and the Falcons agreed that the former NFL MVP could search for a new home after 14 seasons in Atlanta when the Falcons failed at their attempt to acquire Deshaun Watson. After meeting with the Colts brass, Ryan knew he only wanted to come to Indy.

Fast forward to Sunday as Ryan made his Colts debut in his 15th season against the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, the end result was not what Ryan nor the Colts wanted, as they tied the Texans 20-20. Ryan finished the day 32-of-50 (64%) for 352 yards with a touchdown, an interception, and an 83.1 quarterback rating.

Last year, we did a weekly series called “Wentzday” as we examined the film of Wentz’s performance. Out is “Wentzday,” and in is “Ryan Review” on Horseshoe Huddle, as we will look at the film each week and dissect how Ryan played. While Ryan and the Colts had plenty of mistakes in Week 1, Ryan proved that he is for real, and the Colts have a legitimate starting quarterback in 2022.

Let’s dive into the film.

Play-Action Success

When you have Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, opposing defenses must account for him on every play. A cerebral quarterback like Ryan will take advantage of that whenever he can.

Our first clip shows how effective the play-action fake was for the Colts on Sunday. Ryan is one of the best in the league in carrying out the fake. He uses the ball as part of the fake instead of just his hand and does not bring the ball back into his chest until the very last second.

Looking at the linebackers on all three of these plays, you can see the effect it has on the defense. The play-action fake either causes them to come down in preparation for Taylor getting the ball or freezes them in the middle of the field, allowing the Colts’ wide receivers to run by. Ryan then quickly turns and delivers an accurate ball down the field.

As long as Taylor is drawing the attention of the defense, play-action will be a big part of the Colts’ game plan. Ryan has always excelled at play-action in his career but has never had the caliber of running back he has now. Expect this to be a staple of the Colts’ offense moving forward.

Ryan to Pittman in Mid-Season Form

Another thing you can expect to see often is Ryan throwing to Michael Pittman Jr. Pittman rose to WR1 in 2021 after hauling in 88 catches for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns. He is already well on his way to joining the elites at his position.

Pittman finished with nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Ryan looked Pittman’s way early and often. Whether it was over the middle or along the sidelines, it is obvious that Ryan and Pittman have already built a rapport with one another and Ryan has a lot of trust in his new WR1.

The connection between these two has been building since OTAs. Ryan loved throwing to the likes of Julio Jones and Roddy White with the Falcons, both physical receivers who dominated at the catch point. Pittman is a physical, big-bodied receiver who can make plays in space and is a handful to bring down. The fact that the two of them are already in sync is a good sign for this offense.

Matty Ice is Real

Ryan has earned the nickname “Matty Ice” due to his ability to stay cool under pressure and help his team come from behind. He has 33 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career, tied for seventh all-time. Ryan quickly had to show Colts fans his nickname was legit.

The Colts entered the fourth quarter down 20-3. A mistake-ridden performance on both sides of the ball made a comeback unlikely. But Ryan never gave up, consistently encouraging teammates and insisting they still had a chance.

He showed it on the field as well. The Texans, playing with a lead, ramped up the pressure in an attempt to stifle any possible comeback by the Colts. Ryan stayed calm in the pocket, making slight movements to avoid the rush and deliver the ball down the field. The last play in this clip shows Ryan standing tall in the pocket and throwing a strike to Mo Alie-Cox even though he knows he will take a hit afterward.

One of the biggest criticisms of Wentz last year was his inability to deliver under pressure. Ryan led the Colts on a 17-point comeback to tie the game and gave the Colts a chance to win in the end. With Ryan, the Colts have a shot in every game, which could not be said last year with Wentz.

Help Is Needed

Ryan’s stat line and the outcome of the game could have been much different if a few plays had gone another way. This is more of a critique on the execution of Ryan’s weapons than on him, but it is important to note as the Colts’ offense has a mostly unproven wide receiver and tight end group that will be relied upon to make big plays all season.

Ryan had multiple passes that were not hauled in due to his receivers on Sunday. The passes included two would-be touchdowns that were either dropped, in the case of Alec Pierce, or knocked out at the last second, in the case of Ashton Dulin. The result of those drives was a turnover on downs and a made field goal, respectively. That is ten points left on the field in a game where the score ended in a tie.

The Colts decided to roll with very young wide receiver and tight end groups for 2022 instead of bringing in established veterans to help Ryan. While the logic is easy to understand, as the Colts want to give their young players a chance to develop and prove themselves, there will be bumps in the road until these groups figure things out.

Questions to general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich regarding this decision were dismissed by saying they liked the group they had. Time will prove whether they were right or wrong.

Ball Security Issues

The biggest problem for Ryan on Sunday was his inability to protect the football. Ryan fumbled the ball four times against the Texans, losing one, and threw an interception to former Colt Jerry Hughes. It is hard to win any game when being that careless with the football.

Ryan’s first fumble came on a strip-sack by Hughes as he blew by Braden Smith on the edge. This play is hard to pin on Ryan as Hughes took Smith to school on this rep, hardly putting up a fight. Luckily for Smith, he was there to recover the fumble after giving up the sack.

The other three fumbles all came on center-quarterback snap exchanges. Ryan had issues handling snaps under center as well as from the shotgun. While Ryan and Ryan Kelly both took the blame after the game for what happened, the point is this should not be happening when you have veteran Pro Bowl players at both positions.

The final turnover is the interception by Hughes. Ryan is trying to deliver the ball to Taylor on a screen when Hughes suddenly disengages from his block with Smith and makes a nice one-handed grab. Ryan knows he needs to find a better throwing lane for this pass, and said as much after the game.

The two turnovers by Ryan stalled out drives for the Colts offense. It put them in a bad spot and forced them to climb out of a hole and back into the game. For a veteran quarterback of Ryan’s caliber, these types of ball security issues should not happen and need to be corrected.

Final Analysis

Overall, Ryan provided a silver lining in what was a very mistake-filled performance by the Colts. While his ball security issues played a role in the Colts falling behind, Ryan made up for it with his calm demeanor and ability to bring the Colts back into the ball game.

Ryan showed a great command of the offense and delivered the ball quickly and accurately to his receivers. His work in the play-action game gave the Colts big play opportunities and kept the defense honest. The connection between Ryan and Pittman is already blossoming, which is a very good sign for the Colts.

Ryan proved the Colts could trust him in tough spots and that the team always has a shot when he is on the field. The performance had its low points, and the mistakes made by Ryan and the offense must be cleaned up before next week. But the Colts saw plenty to like from their quarterback to be confident moving forward.

Up next, the Colts travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The Colts are looking to redeem themselves after the Jaguars embarrassed Indy to end the 2021 season. The game is sure to be a tough battle between two divisional opponents.

Good news for the Colts, Ryan is undefeated in his career against the Jaguars, boasting a 4-0 record. The Colts are hoping he can make it 5-0 on Sunday.

Have thoughts on Matt Ryan's Week 1 performance against the Texans? Let us know in the comments below!

Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMooreNFL.

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Andrew Moore
ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.

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