With three games left for the Indianapolis Colts, Jeff Saturday has decided to bench quarterback Matt Ryan and start Nick Foles.
The Matt Ryan era with the Indianapolis Colts may be over, for real this time. On Wednesday afternoon, interim head coach, Jeff Saturday, announced that Ryan will be heading to the bench and the team will be rolling with Nick Foles as the starter. Foles will start his first game on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers.
This is Ryan’s second time this season being benched and it’s hard to imagine that this time isn’t permanent. The first time came after Week 7 when Frank Reich was still the head coach. The team announced that Ryan would be benched and that Sam Ehlinger would be the starter moving forward. However, when Reich was fired two weeks later and Saturday was hired as interim head coach, all of that went out the window and Saturday decided to put Ryan back into the lineup.
Now, five games later, Ryan is back on the bench and Nick Foles will be the guy. Barring any injuries, Foles will presumably start the final three games for Indianapolis.
Per Jeff Saturday, QB Nick Foles will start in #LACvsIND. pic.twitter.com/oX7MzHicAr
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 21, 2022
Colts benching Matt Ryan for Nick Foles
Speaking on the change, Jeff Saturday expressed, “We just haven’t made enough plays…And ultimately you have to make plays.” Jeff also went on to emphasize that the offense needs to be more explosive, saying, “We have to get teams out of playing their safeties at seven yards.” Now, the Colts will rely on Foles to help open up the offense in an attempt to win Indy’s final three games.
For Matt Ryan, this is just the latest disappointment in a season filled with underwhelming moments. Assuming he doesn’t take another snap this season, Ryan will finish the year with 3,057 yards, 14 touchdowns, and a league-leading 13 interceptions in 12 games. Ryan is also leading the NFL with 15 fumbles.
Despite the demotion, Saturday was complimentary of Ryan, saying he “thinks the world of Matt, he’s a pro’s pro. It’s not been the season he expected, nor the Colts as a whole.” With the partnership between Ryan and Indianapolis not working out, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the final year of Ryan’s contract. Will Ryan retire or will he ask to be traded or cut so that he can find another team? Is there still interest around the league in a soon-to-be 38-year-old Matt Ryan coming off this season? All of those questions will be answered during the offseason.
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