Oh, what a difference a year can make.
Last year, the Indianapolis Colts ran all over the New England Patriots for 226 yards. All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor had 29 carries and rushed for 170 yards with a touchdown in a 27-17 Indianapolis victory.
But in Week 9 this year, Taylor didn’t play, and the Colts didn’t have 226 total yards. In fact, they barely had half of that, with only 121 yards of offense in a 26-3 loss.
No one played well on the Colts offense, including quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who made his second career start in the loss. Ehlinger completed only 15 of 29 passes for 103 yards with an interception.
A year can make a big difference, but in the NFL, so can a couple weeks. Just two weeks after turning the page to Ehlinger, who Indianapolis has portrayed as a promising young signal caller since training camp, Colts head coach Frank Reich had to answer questions about whether the 24-year-old would remain the team’s starter behind center.
In response, Reich avoided the question altogether.
I asked Frank Reich whether he would consider another quarterback change after this game, and he said he needs time to decide on that one.
Colts’ Other Options Behind Center
On one hand, it’s good Reich didn’t have a knee jerk reaction to the awful performance from his offense in Week 9. After he gets a chance to review the film, he will presumably have a more concrete opinion on how much of the offense’s struggles against the Patriots is to blame on the young quarterback.
Yet, the non-committal answer for Ehlinger speaks volumes to the mess the Indianapolis offense finds itself in at the moment.
Matt Ryan wouldn’t have been able to play the last two weeks anyway, as he was ruled out in Weeks 8 and 9 with a shoulder injury. But the Colts made it clear on October 24 that they benched Ryan because of too many turnovers.
Ryan led the NFL with 11 interceptions and 11 fumbles after Week 7.
With Ehlinger behind center, the Colts have been better at taking care of the ball. But that’s about it.
Over the last two weeks, Indianapolis has averaged 3.9 yards per play and scored 19 total points. Ehlinger has taken 11 sacks and doesn’t have a passing touchdown.
The Colts weren’t passing the eye test with Ryan behind center, but they were 3-3-1 and in the playoff hunt. They have fallen back in the postseason race with two straight losses with Ehlinger.
If the move to Ehlinger was truly due to believing he gave the Colts the best option to win this year, then perhaps another quarterback change is in order. Even if Ryan is not ready for Week 10, the Colts could start Nick Foles, who won Super Bowl MVP in Reich’s offense with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2017-18 season.
Indianapolis’ Problems Stem Beyond Quarterback
Of course, it doesn’t really matter who starts behind center for the Colts if they continue to have the same problems.
Indianapolis entered Week 9 with the second-most allowed sacks (26) and third-most yielded quarterback pressures (122) in the league. Whether it’s Ehlinger, Ryan or Foles, no quarterback is going to thrive with that kind of harassment.
The Colts can’t generate a running game like they did last year either. Running backs Deon Jackson, Jordan Wilkins and Phillip Lindsay rushed for 38 yards on 15 carries (2.5 yards per rush) against the Patriots.
Maybe it would have been better with Taylor, but it’s unlikely he would have repeated his 2021 performance versus New England. Taylor’s yards per carry average is down from 5.5 in 2021 to 4.3 this season and doesn’t have a 100-yard game since Week 1.
Regardless of who Reich decides to make the team’s quarterback going forward, it won’t be the right choice unless the Colts fix some of their other issues.
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Frank Reich Leaves Colts Fans in Limbo After QB Response