Matt Ryan Snubbed Twice This Week, Including QB Index

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan is on the rise in the latest QB Index from NFL.com, but is he high enough?
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It's been a big week for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan.

With his 389-yard effort in a 34-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ryan moved past Dan Marino into seventh on the all-time passing list

He was nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week, which eventually went to Joe Burrow despite the Bengals quarterback throwing for nearly 25%-less "air" yards.

And he is on the move up in the weekly NFL.com Weekly QB Index, but he moved up just two spots from No. 25 to No. 23 on the list.

NFL.com's Marc Sessler attempted to break up the monotony of his weekly column by releasing his comments on each quarterback in haiku form.

For Ryan, he had this to say.

Sad autumn brighter
After Matty Ice hurls a
Wild fifty-eight throws
- Marc Sessler, NFL.com

Ryan is looking up at 22 quarterbacks around the NFL despite looking down on all but one of them in passing yards. Ryan 1,765-yards ranks second behind only Josh Allen (1,980) of the Buffalo Bills.

At No. 23 Ryan sits behind the likes of No. 22 Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos who is under fire in Denver for his ineffectiveness and giant-price tag.

Andy Dalton of the New Orleans Saints and his three-game sample size that includes just three touchdowns and an interception checks in at No. 20.

No. 19 Marcus Mariota, Ryan's replacement in Atlanta, has accounted for nine touchdowns rushing and passing against 11 turnovers, while barely cracking 1,000-yards passing.

And did anyone actually watch the San Francisco 49ers offense with Jimmy Garapolo (No. 16) against Mariota's Falcons last week? Garapolo stat-padded to the tune of 296 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions while his team managed just 14 points and was shut out in the second half.

To be fair, Ryan's season quarterback rating is still just 86.2, 20th in the NFL, despite the lofty 107.6 he posted against the Jaguars. It was the third-100+ rating Ryan has had in the last-four games, but the 34.0 and and 60.1 he had on the road against the Jaguars and Broncos in Weeks 2 and 5 respectively are still holding down his overall rating.

The Colts are 3-1 over that span.

Ryan's turnovers have been a problem as well. He's thrown seven interceptions and lost three fumbles. But after being sacked 21 times the Colts' first-five games, the offensive line didn't allow Ryan to be sacked in 58 throws on Sunday against the Jaguars.

Ryan wasn't sacked... Ryan didn't turn the ball over. That seems like a pretty logical correlation.

As the offensive line improves, as the Colts-young weapons like Alex Pierce improve, Ryan and the Colts improve.

At the end of the day, that's all that matters and the national recognition for the individuals will come.


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