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Ryan Review: Colts’ QB Fumbles Away Chance at Stellar Day vs. Titans

While Matt Ryan had a productive day passing the ball, his fumbling issues have now become a huge detriment to the Colts’ success.

Andrew Moore

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The Indianapolis Colts came into Week 4 confident after upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts were ready to get the season back on track and fired up to play a Tennessee Titans team that has had their number the past few years.

Unfortunately, the Colts could not keep the momentum going as they fell to the Titans 24-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Protection issues and ball security problems plagued Indy, once again, dropping their record to 1-2-1 on the season.

Quarterback Matt Ryan tried to pull off his third fourth-quarter comeback in four games for the Colts but ultimately fell short. Ryan was 27-of-37 (73%) for 356 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a QB rating of 109.7. Through the first quarter of the season, Ryan’s season stats are 102-of-154 (66.2%) for 1,125 yards, five touchdowns, five interceptions, and a QB rating of 85.0.

“Felt like we had a good plan coming into it, and we just haven't been able to get into sync early enough in games throughout the year,” Ryan said Sunday. “That's something that we have to address and get better at and fix because there are times where it's actually very good. We need to strive for better consistency, better starts, and just get into a rhythm earlier.”

This is “Ryan Review” on Horseshoe Huddle where we will look at the film each week and dissect how Ryan played. Ryan certainly had a productive day through the air, but ball security issues hindered what could have been a huge win for the Colts.

MAC Attack

Tight end Mo Alie-Cox has not been involved much in the passing game in 2022. With the retirement of Jack Doyle this offseason, Alie-Cox has been the primary blocking tight end in the offense. The Colts finally got him involved in the passing game on Sunday, and it paid off.

Alie-Cox finished the day with six catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns as the leading receiver for the Colts. Both of the touchdowns by Alie-Cox were on plays where he leaked out into the flat and was wide open. Ryan sees him and delivers the ball quickly and accurately to his 6-5 tight end.

Alie-Cox was also utilized over the middle of the field. On both of these catches, Ryan releases the ball just as Alie-Cox makes his cuts and puts the ball right on the money for him to continue upfield. Once Alie-Cox gets going in the open field, he is very hard to bring down.

The Colts have used Alie-Cox primarily as a blocker early in the season. With the protection issues the Colts have had, his role is a necessity. However, plays like the ones above show that #81 can still be used as a weapon in the passing game.

More TE Action

Alie-Cox was not the only tight end to see action on Sunday. Kylen Granson and Jelani Woods also joined in on the fun and made the most of their opportunities.

Granson easily had his best day this season against the Titans. Whether on crossers, sitting in zones, or even pushing the ball down the field, Granson created separation and allowed Ryan to get the ball out of his hands quickly. You can see the trust building between the two.

Moving on to Woods, the young tight end proved against the Chiefs (two TDs) that Ryan could rely on him. While Woods only caught one pass Sunday, it turned into a 33-yard gain. Ryan once again waits for his tight end to make his cut and fires a dart. It is hard to tackle the 6-7, 253-pound monster that is Woods.

Getting the tight ends involved was a big part of the Colts’ game plan on Sunday, and all three stepped up. The Colts’ offense will need to have more performances like these from the tight end group moving forward.

Middle of the Field

Watching the clips of the tight ends, you saw Ryan continuing to dominate the middle of the field. Using the middle of the field has been a theme for Ryan through the first quarter of the season, and it does not look to be stopping anytime soon.

The next clip shows Ryan hanging in the pocket and throwing to his receivers over the middle. Ryan starts to get a little antsy on the second throw but regroups and delivers a strike to wide receiver Parris Campbell. The Colts were able to move the ball quite well.

The next clip shows more throws down the middle, but Ryan shows off some athleticism on both throws. Ryan is not a scrambling quarterback by any means, but he is not a statue either and can make plays on the run. These two off-platform throws make him look more like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes than Matt Ryan.

Ryan has thrived over the middle of the field as a Colt. He would probably have even more production in this area if the protection would hold up for him – just another reason why the offensive line and blocking issues need to be resolved ASAP.

Just a Little Late

Generally, Ryan gets rid of the ball quickly and out to his wide receivers. However, the film has shown that he can be just a tick late on some throws. This happened again on Sunday.

The two examples that stick out are back-to-back plays to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in the red zone. Ryan has Pittman open on both plays, but does not get the ball out quick enough and leads Pittman out of bounds and unable to make a play. If the ball is released just a little earlier, both plays end up as touchdowns.

The main reason we have seen Ryan a little late on some throws is primarily due to timing with his new receivers. The timing between Ryan and his weapons should improve over time, as this is only their fourth game together. For example, the timing with the tight ends looked as good as it has been this weekend. The timing is a work in progress and should improve week after week.

Ball Security

Yes, ball security is still a major issue for Ryan and this offense. Ryan fumbled two more times against the Titans, bringing his season total to nine in four games. The record for most fumbles in a season is 23, and Ryan is well on his way to breaking it.

Both fumbles came on sacks of Ryan. Ryan was sacked three more times Sunday, for a season total of 15. While it is hard for Ryan to avoid any of these sacks, he can do a much better job of wrapping up the football and securing it as he goes down. He shows this on the final sack.

Ryan was also intercepted for the fifth time this season on a tipped ball by defensive lineman Teair Tart. Ryan looks to the left just long enough to telegraph when he is going to throw, and Tart sticks his hand up to bat the ball in the air. Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly need to work on keeping the defender’s arms down to help prevent this.

Overall, the Colts lost the turnover battle 3-0 on Sunday and it cost them dearly. Ryan’s fumbling issues are no longer a one-off thing. It has become a serious problem, and it is hurting the Colts dearly. Until the fumbling issues are corrected, it will be hard for the offense to establish any momentum.

Final Analysis

When looking at the passing numbers and the film, Ryan had a pretty productive day throwing the football. Utilizing his tight ends and the middle of the field, Ryan made some nice throws when given time and made good decisions with the football. While timing with his receivers still needs some work, it is getting better each week.

However, Ryan’s fumbling issues so far in 2022 have overshadowed anything he has done throwing the football. While the struggles of the offensive line and lack of running game have contributed to the slow offensive start, Ryan giving the ball back to the opposing team has not helped. The fumbling problems should not be this bad for a 15-year veteran in the NFL.

The Colts have a quick turnaround this week as they take on the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. The Broncos have playmakers all over the field on defense and will try to get after Ryan as much as they can. It will be on Ryan to protect the football, and on the offensive line to protect him, if the Colts hope to get the victory on the road.

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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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