One expert believes the Colts might have an MVP candidate in Matt Ryan
Recently, an NFL expert made the case that the newly acquired quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, Matt Ryan, could win MVP.
Following a 2016 MVP award and a historical blown lead in Super Bowl 51, Matt Ryan slipped out of the NFL’s spotlight. The Atlanta Falcons descended from league dominance and became worse than mediocre. Because of that, there wasn’t much reason to pay attention to Ryan, no matter how many 4,000-yard seasons he was stringing together.
However, this offseason, the Indianapolis Colts traded for the 37-year-old Ryan and he’s now back in the spotlight. The Colts are a team with a loaded roster that just missed last season’s playoffs and many believe that with Ryan, Indy could be a serious contender.
Ryan still has the skillset to make Indy competitive and the Colts have the talent to help Ryan shine on the back leg of his NFL career. But how bright can Ryan shine? Indianapolis has an elite run game and a quality defense so they don’t necessarily need Ryan to be in his 2016 MVP form, but can he?
Some people think there’s a chance that Ryan will return to an MVP level with the Colts. Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently wrote an article using past MVP seasons to make a case for 13 current players. One of those current players was Matt Ryan and Barnwell highlighted Aaron Rodgers’ 2020 MVP season as the kind of season Ryan can have to win the award.
Can Matt Ryan channel a 2020 Aaron Rodgers?
Barnwell reflected on Rodgers’ 2020 MVP saying, “A fading former MVP threw back the years with a vintage season out of his prime.”That’s what Ryan will have to do if he wins the award. Barnwell concluded the comparison between Ryan and Rodgers by asking, “Rogers made his leap back into the elite class during his age-37 season. Can Ryan do the same in his?”
Ryan is set up to have his best season in years. As previously stated, the Colts have a dominant run game led by Jonathan Taylor and what could be a punishing defense with stars at every level. Those two things should take pressure off of Ryan and consistently put him in situations to be successful.
However, those two things may also stop Ryan from winning the MVP. Even with a season that’s better than his recent years, he may not have the opportunity to stack up the kind of production that’s necessary to win MVP in today’s NFL. With so many explosive offenses and elite quarterbacks, the MVP award will likely go to a quarterback that’s putting up unfathomable numbers.
That’s unlikely to be Ryan since Indy will probably rely a lot on their run game and defense. However, it’s great the Colts have a quarterback that people still believe can win an MVP award.
