Horseshoe Huddle

Ryan Review: Colts’ QB Returns in Comeback Win vs. Raiders

After being out for two weeks with a shoulder injury, Matt Ryan was back in the starting lineup to get the Colts’ offense on track.

Andrew Moore

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The Indianapolis Colts had a whirlwind of a week leading up to their matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.

From the firing of Frank Reich as head coach to the announcement that Jeff Saturday would be the interim head coach for the rest of the season and all the noise that followed, it would have been easy to see why Indy may drop this game. But the Colts fought hard and came away with a 25-20 victory.

Not only did the Colts have a new head coach roaming the sidelines on Sunday, but quarterback Matt Ryan returned from his shoulder injury and took back the starting job over Sam Ehlinger. It was one of Saturday’s first big decisions as head coach, and it paid off big time.

Ryan turned in his most efficient day as a Colt in his return. He was 21-of-28 (75%) for 222 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions or fumbles, and a QB rating of 109.5. Ryan also ran for 38 yards and a touchdown, including a career-long 39-yard scramble, but more on that later.

“We've all accumulated a lot of reps during the course of the offseason, during the course of training camp and during the course of the regular season,” Ryan explained after the game. “And sometimes things like this happen, whether it can be injury or whatever the circumstances are…It was a tough day in New England (last week), but the message was let’s get back to work…Let's be very clear about what we expect, what I expect from you, where I need you, how you can expect where the ball is going to be and those kinds of things. I thought the communication really later in the week was excellent.”

After two weeks of “The Ehlinger Experiment,” “Ryan Review” is back on Horseshoe Huddle, where we will look at the film each week and dissect how Ryan played. With Ryan back in the starting lineup, the Colts’ offense looked to get back on track, and they hope to stay that way the rest of the year.

Success Over the Middle

With Ryan back in the lineup, it was safe to say the Colts would attack over the middle of the field. Ryan has excelled in this area throughout his career and through the early portion of the season with the Colts. Indy took advantage once again.

The first clip shows where Ryan took advantage of holes in the second level of the Raiders’ defense. Ryan stood firm in the pocket and waited for his receivers to break across into the soft spots of the zone. Great patience by Ryan, and credit to the offensive line for allowing these plays to develop.

Picking apart the middle of the field is Ryan’s bread and butter. With his return to the starting lineup, expect to see these concepts more and more.

Quick Passing Game

While the offensive line held up much better in pass protection this week, the Colts still made it a priority to get the ball out quickly. New Colts play-caller Parks Frazier utilized quick passing concepts throughout the game, and the Colts saw the benefits.

The next clip shows some of the quick passes that the Colts deployed on Sunday. With Ryan’s ability to diagnose what the defense will do pre-snap, he was able to identify who he would be able to get the ball out to promptly. Getting the ball out quickly also allows the Colts’ playmakers to use their speed and quickness to make things happen in the open field.

The quick passing game simplified the offense and allowed the Colts to pick up easy yardage. When you watch the top offenses in the NFL, most use quick passing techniques to neutralize the pass rush, setting up the deep shot. This strategy is something the Colts should use moving forward.

Showing Off the Athleticism

While Ryan may not be the statue that former Colts’ quarterback Philip Rivers was, opposing defenses typically do not worry about Ryan’s athleticism. After Sunday, maybe they should start. I’m only half-kidding.

When Ehlinger was the starter, the Colts tried to get him outside the pocket on rollouts to make plays and surprisingly continued that with Ryan. The Colts rolled out Ryan twice to the right side, and each time resulted in a completion to Michael Pittman Jr. The rollouts were a nice wrinkle that Colts’ kept in their game plan.

The Colts also utilized Ryan in more RPO situations than they had in the first half of the season. Ryan carried out good fakes and got the ball out accurately to his receivers. Throws to Kylen Granson and Keke Coutee are particularly nice, regardless of the Coutee fumble or not.

And now we come to the highlight of the game for Ryan. Ryan’s 39-yard pickup on the scramble was the longest run of the veteran quarterback’s career, and the fourth-longest run by a quarterback in the NFL this season. Never thought we would be mentioning Ryan’s scrambling ability with the likes of Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, and Kyler Murray, but here we are.

For a 37-year-old quarterback, Ryan can be deceptively athletic with the football. Will we see another long run from Ryan ever again? Probably not. But the Colts should continue to move the pocket with Ryan to keep the defense on their heels.

Parris Campbell Comes Up Clutch

As you have probably noticed throughout the film clips, Parris Campbell was one of Ryan’s favorite targets on Sunday. Campbell finished with seven catches, a career-high 76 yards, and the game-winning touchdown. Let’s look at the touchdown between Ryan and Campbell.

The route by Campbell is a simple slant from the slot over, you guessed it, the middle of the field. Ryan is afforded great protection in the pocket and places the ball in the perfect spot so Campbell does not have to break stride to catch it. Campbell’s speed does the rest, knifing through the Raiders’ defense for the score.

While it looks like a simple play, the ball placement from Ryan needs to be spot on so Campbell does not have to slow down or break his momentum, allowing him to continue at full speed toward the end zone. The throw also shows the timing and chemistry these two have, as evidenced by the 24 catches, 203 yards, and three touchdowns Campbell has racked up in his last three games with Ryan. Campbell will continue to be a focal point of the offense as long as Ryan is QB1.

The Sack

One of the only negative plays by the Colts on Sunday was the lone sack on Ryan. Ryan stayed relatively clean all day, but this sack ended up costing the Colts three points.

When looking at the play, multiple things go wrong up front. The Colts only leave Jonathan Taylor to block Maxx Crosby. Meanwhile, left tackle Bernhard Raimann gets beaten by Chandler Jones. The pressure is on Ryan from the start.

Further down the field, Campbell and Mo Alie-Cox are trying to execute a rub play over the middle of the field to get Campbell open. However, Raiders linebacker Darien Butler reads it and knocks Campbell off his spot, ruining the play. Granson is open in the flat to start the play, but he is used as a decoy to clear out space, and it is too late by the time Campbell is moved off his route.

Overall, this is just a blown-up play. The protection did not hold up as long as it should have, the receivers were knocked off their spot, and Ryan ran backward when pressured instead of stepping up in the pocket. Bad play all around.

Final Analysis

Even though Ryan had not seen action in two weeks, he showed no signs of rust and turned in his most efficient day as a Colt. He delivered the ball quickly and accurately to his receivers and never put the ball in harm’s way. Ryan had full control of the offense, carving up the middle of the field and even showing off his athleticism. A very solid performance from Ryan and the Colts’ offense.

However, their next test will be much harder as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend. The Eagles boast a pass rush that loves to get after the quarterback and a secondary that can take the ball away at any time. Ryan and the Colts will need to be smart with the football and utilize some of the quick passing concepts to keep the Eagles’ pass rush at bay.

The Colts are heavy underdogs going into the matchup with the Eagles. But if the Colts can keep the game close and give the ball back to Matty Ice at the end of the game, it would not surprise me if Indy pulls off the upset.

More Ryan Review

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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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