The Indianapolis Colts are rolling with young quarterback Sam Ehligner on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the competition with Matt Ryan is far from over.
Buy Colts TicketsOwner Jim Irsay said earlier this week that the quarterback position will be decided by interim head coach Jeff Saturday, and Ryan is healthy from his shoulder injury for the first time in two weeks.
Additionally, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported that Ryan took first-team reps at points during practice this week and that if things go poorly against the Raiders in Week 10, a switch back to Ryan could be made.
If things go poorly today vs. the Raiders, wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff Saturday turns to Matt Ryan at QB. Heard Ryan got some 1st-team reps in practice this week, and while Saturday said Sam Ehlinger will start, he said Friday “this isn’t a closed competition by any stretch.”
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 13, 2022
It has been an eventful season for the Colts and they haven’t even played double-digit games yet.
Ryan started the first seven games for the Colts this season. He completed 68.4% of his passes for 2,008 yards, nine touchdowns, nine interceptions and an 84.7 passer rating. His nine interceptions are still the most in the NFL entering Week 10.
The offensive line let Ryan down in a massive way. Struggles at left tackle and right guard proved to be too large while the stalwarts in Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith have mostly played under expectation. That poor offensive line play led to Ryan speeding up his internal clock in the pocket, forcing him into some terrible decisions.
Ehlinger hasn’t provided much of a spark in his two games started. He was fine in his first start against the Washington Commanders but struggled mightily against the New England Patriots in Week 9, which was to be expected.
Regardless, we could see another change at the quarterback position depending on how Sunday in Vegas goes.
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