The Indianapolis Colts came into the 2022 season with some high aspirations as some viewed them as a dark horse to contend for the Super Bowl. A big reason for that was their acquisition of quarterback Matt Ryan, who many believed was a sizable upgrade over Carson Wentz, who was the starter last season.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as planned. Ryan has struggled mightily, playing pretty poorly behind an offensive line that has struggled in front of him. That has led to underwhelming results as the Colts are currently 3-3-1 and ready to make a change.
Ryan injured his shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, which was going to keep him out of the lineup. But, the coaching staff was planning on removing him from the lineup anyway in favor of second-year quarterback, Sam Ehlinger.
Ryan spoke out about being benched earlier this week. Unsurprisingly, he expressed a lot of disappointment in being taken out of the lineup and was frustrated that he wasn’t able to help the team win more. But, as the consummate professional that he is, he will do whatever the team needs.
“Individually, personally, disappointed. As a player, competitor, you want to be out there.”
Matt Ryan was leading the league in interceptions with nine through seven games. That just wasn’t going to cut it as Wentz, despite all of the ridicule that he endured last season, threw only seven interceptions on the season.
He was also on pace to shatter the record for fumbles in a season as he had already put the ball on the ground 11 times, losing three of them. However, he was improving in that area, as he hasn’t fumbled since Week 5, but that wasn’t enough to keep him in the starting lineup.
Indianapolis is hoping that Ehlinger will give them a spark as he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during the preseason. If he can perform anywhere near that level in the regular season, the Colts are going to get their season back on track rather quickly.
Coincidentally, Indianapolis is facing the Washington Commanders in Week 8. However, Wentz is also injured, so neither player will be taking the field during the matchup on Sunday afternoon.
