Where does the Colts offensive trio rank amongst the league’s triplets?
The Indianapolis Colts have a trio of Matt Ryan, Jonathan Taylor, and Michael Pittman Jr. How does this group compare to the rest of the NFL?
Many great NFL offenses typically have a set of triplets. Not actual siblings all born together, but a quality quarterback, running back, and pass catcher. The NFL’s most famous set of triplets was Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin for the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s.
The Indianapolis Colts also had a legendary set of triplets with Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, and Marvin Harrison. Now, Indy has another promising trio that is hoping to do some legendary things, in Matt Ryan, Jonathan Taylor, and Michael Pittman Jr. Taylor emerged as the best running back in the league in just his second year last season, and Pittman established himself as a No. 1 receiver, going over 1,000 yards in his second year as well.
Ryan, on the other hand, is preparing for his 15th season but he has accomplished a lot of great things in the NFL. He now joins the Colts to partner up with Taylor and Pittman to help Indy return to the top of the league. Those three together, where do they rank as a trio compared to the league’s other current triplets?
This was the question that NFL writer, Nick Shook, wanted to answer in his ranking of the best triplets entering the 2022 NFL season. To establish the rankings, Shook used a formula of ranking each player by position from 1 to 32. The No. 1 ranked player was given 32 points and the 32nd-ranked player was given one point. To give the quarterbacks more value, Shook multiplied their score by 1.5.
After adding up all three players’ scores, each set of triplets had a value and was ranked. The Colts trio of Ryan, Taylor, and Pittman came in at No. 13 with a score of 96.5
Colts triplets ranked No. 13 in the NFL
As far as individual rankings, Matt Ryan was ranked No. 13 at quarterback, Jonathan Taylor was ranked No. 1 at running back, but Michael Pittman Jr. was only ranked as the No. 27 pass catcher. However, that still gave them a pretty favorable overall ranking.
Shook argued that Ryan is still a better quarterback than most think and that his final years in Atlanta aren’t the best way to judge what he’s capable of. However, Shook did question Ryan’s wideouts, saying “Pittman could team with Parris Campbell to make quite a duo, but he’s still not near the elite level of some of the other pass-catchers in the league.”
While Pittman may not be all that established yet, many in Indianapolis are confident that he will continue his ascent. Especially since he now has Matt Ryan throwing him the ball, a partnership that should be beneficial for both. As those two build their rapport, Taylor will continue to be the best running back in the NFL and the Colts will win a lot of games as a result.
