Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts are slowly turning the season around. Could the veteran quarterback become an MVP candidate?
Not long ago, it seemed like this season would be a failure for the Indianapolis Colts. They were struggling to win games and the offense couldn’t score any points. To make matters worse, veteran quarterback, Matt Ryan, couldn’t hold on to the football. With a dead offense, it didn’t seem like the Colts would do much of anything this season. However, things can change in an instance in sports and that’s what happened for Indy in Week 6.
The Colts exploded offensively, scoring 34 points to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. The win allowed everyone to step back and realize that Indianapolis’ season hasn’t been that bad. Yes, there have been some awful moments but Indy is currently on a two-game winning streak with a chance to claim the top spot in the AFC South on Sunday. Additionally, Indy is currently in the playoff picture, though, it’s extremely early.
In addition to the Colts’ record, Matt Ryan has the second-most passing yards in the NFL this season with 1,765. He trails only Josh Allen. With the way Ryan is throwing the ball, and Indianapolis starting to win games, could the 37-year-old quarterback win another MVP award?
42 completions in Week 6. These are @M_Ryan02’s toughest throws against the Jags! (via @NextGenStats) pic.twitter.com/ssl81RkvhY
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2022
Is Matt Ryan winning MVP with the Colts realistic?
When Indianapolis acquired Matt Ryan this offseason, the expectation wasn’t really that he would have to play MVP-caliber football. Sure, some people named him as a dark-horse candidate but it was mostly expected that he would be able to lean on Indy’s run game and quality defense, while occasionally making some big throws.
That hasn’t been the case for the Colts through the first six games. Indy has often been facing deficits and has been unable to get the run game going. This has forced the team to call on Ryan quite a lot. He’s already attempted 253 passes, which is second in the NFL, and has three games with over 350 yards. Ryan has also engineered three game-winning drives and another that forced a tie.
So to the MVP question, if the Colts keep calling on Ryan like they have been and he keeps answering, his name has to be in the discussion for MVP at the end of the year. However, it’s early and there’s still so much football to be played. Indianapolis could get back on track with Jonathan Taylor and Ryan may not be asked to do as much as he has in the first six weeks.
According to FanDuel, Matt Ryan is currently tied with Jonathan Taylor and a few others for the 25th-best odds to win MVP at +20000. If Ryan can continue to protect the ball like he did last game, and keep putting up numbers, his odds will certainly go up each week.
3 players the Colts should consider adding at the trade deadline
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the Indianapolis Colts should have their eyes on a few players that are worth acquiring.