Matt Ryan, Colts Offensive Line Underperform in Loss to Steelers

The Indianapolis Colts squandered an opportunity for an uplifting win on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers in another frustrating display from Matt Ryan and the offensive line.

On Monday Night, the 4-6-1 Indianapolis Colts looked to keep their playoff hopes alive by welcoming the 3-7 Pittsburgh Steelers to Lucas Oil Stadium.

With a favorable matchup, the Colts had a victory on the horizon, but instead, squandered it in another terrible outing, losing 24-17 and thus marking the eighth consecutive victory for the Steelers against the Colts since 2011.

With few positives to take from the performance, I wanted to discuss the offensive line and how they, along with quarterback Matt Ryan, failed to capitalize on an abysmal, league-worst Pittsburgh pass defense where the Colts were dominated at the line of scrimmage.

It’s unfortunate to admit if you’re a Colts fan, but after Monday night’s showing, it’s fair to say that this offensive line is just bad.

Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt was the one that all pundits and analysts said the Colts must account for. However, he was mostly silenced. The true pressure came from the unaccounted linebackers and secondary. Ryan was hit a whopping 8 times during his 34 pass attempts, or once every 4 attempts. The Colts also surrendered 3 sacks from cornerback Arthur Maulet, safety Terrell Edmunds, and linebacker Alex Highsmith, each with 1.0.

The Colts’ offensive protection was getting attacked from all levels of the Steelers defense, allowing Pittsburgh to pressure Ryan into some puzzling throws. For example, in the first quarter after taking initial possession, Ryan tossed a pressure-led interception to cornerback James Pierre. This would ultimately lead to a punt by the Steelers, but the fact that it happened with almost no possession time is alarming.

It is also worth stating that the offensive line no longer fits Ryan’s skillset, which is to have time to scan the defense and take what it gives him. Ryan showed that not only is he having major issues navigating the pocket, but he is also unwilling to throw the ball away or run away from defenders, showing fear, uncertainty, and the desire to avoid hits and sacks, regardless of the game situation.

Ryan put together a pedestrian stat line once again with 22-of-34 passing for 199 yards and 1 touchdown to 1 interception. He also fumbled twice, losing one. His passing yardage was his second-lowest of the season to only the disastrous Week 2 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars where he put up just 195 yards en route to a 24-0 slaughter.

The pure ugliness of this Colts’ offense was on full display on Monday, leading to many questions about how things will go forward at the quarterback and offensive line positions.

Now sitting at a forgettable 4-7-1 (2-4 at home), there isn’t much left for the Colts to push for when it comes to the postseason, as it’s essentially out of reach.

Now with five games remaining, it remains to be seen what happens and the mentality that this team has. It’s difficult, too, with the Dallas Cowboys (8-3), Minnesota Vikings (9-2), Los Angeles Chargers (6-5), and New York Giants (7-4) making up four of the final five games.

With the head coaching ability of Jeff Saturday once again in question, will the Colts put together any upsets? Will they fold? Will they swap around personnel to see what they have?

Anyone’s guess is a viable one, as nobody could have forecasted the soap opera that has been the first 12 weeks of the 2022 season for the Colts.

We will continue to tune in.

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