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Quarterback Matt Ryan has now been on the wrong side of history twice in his long, successful NFL career.
He was already the losing quarterback in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Then on December 17, Ryan was on the wrong end of the largest comeback in any NFL game ever.
As one can imagine, Ryan didn’t receive much sympathy from NFL analysts and fans on Twitter after the Week 15 loss. But he did receive some resemblance of condolences from Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe.
The Fox Sports analyst instead placed most of the blame from Indianapolis’ 33-point blown lead on the team’s coaching staff. Sharpe blasted the team’s coaches on Twitter.
“Colts and coaching staff should be tarred and feathered,” Sharpe wrote in a post on his social media account. “Up 33-0 and lose 39-36. Give the Bikes credit for not quitting, but this is EMBARRASSING COLTS.
“Matt must think he had buzzard’s luck. Up 28-3 and lose SB. Up 33-0 and lose again and both in OT.”
Second Guessing Colts Coaches After 33-Point Blown Lead
There’s plenty of second guessing analysts and fans can do after any blown NFL lead. That’s especially true with an historic loss as Indianapolis suffered on December 17.
The Indianapolis Colts jumped out to a 33-0 lead behind a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a pick-six in the first half.
But the lead could have been more.
Indianapolis ran the ball five straight times before halftime in the red zone. The running plays forced the Minnesota Vikings to use all three of their timeouts and chewed up most of the remaining clock in the second quarter.
The drive ended with a field goal and gave the Colts a 5-possession lead. Since no team had ever blown a 5-possession lead in NFL history, the field goal made a big cushion look insurmountable.
But the Vikings proved that not to be the case. With the benefit of hindsight, the Colts should have been more aggressive to score a touchdown before halftime to take at least a 36-0 lead.
Saturday could have been aggressive on the team’s second possession of the second half as well. From the Vikings 34-yard line, the Colts attempted a 52-yard field goal instead of going for fourth-and-7.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin made the attempt, his fifth of the day, but it did little to make a difference on the scoreboard. The Colts were ahead, 33-7, at the time of the attempt, so the field goal still meant the Vikings trailed by four possessions.
Maybe Saturday didn’t have a ton of confidence his offense was going to convert 4th-and-7. That’s understandable. But the overall lack of aggressiveness in these decisions and the play calling from offensive coordination Parks Frazier on the downs before the field goals allowed Minnesota to have a fighter’s chance.
Then late in the game, Saturday did finally stay with the offense on fourth down, and it cost him. Ryan was unable to gain a yard on 4th-and-1 at the Vikings 36-yard line with 2:31 left in the game. The failed conversion gave Minnesota a final shot to tie the game.
The Vikings accomplished that in one play and with a two-point conversion.
Rather than go on fourth down, Saturday could have elected for another field-goal try. McLaughlin was 5-for-5 on the day and already had made a 52-yard attempt.
The try would have come from 53 yards. He has not made a kick from that distance this season, but in 2021, McLaughlin connected on a 57-yarder with the Cleveland Browns. McLaughlin also entered the game 11-for-14 on attempts from beyond 49 yards over the last two seasons.
Ryan’s Role in Historic Defeat
All of those decisions could have been a moot point, though, if Ryan and the Colts offense had scored more points in the second half. That’s why the Indianapolis veteran quarterback hardly deserved to completely escape all blame for the loss.
Even Sharpe admitted that in another tweet on December 17.
The Colts tallied a season-high 36 points and 341 yards. But that’s misleading.
Indianapolis’ defense and special teams each scored a touchdown in the first half. The Colts offense only put together one touchdown drive in the entire game and settled for five field goals.
In the second half, the Colts offense had 97 yards. Then in overtime, all Indianapolis needed was a field goal, but the Colts couldn’t move across midfield.
Ryan finished 19 of 33 with 182 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t have a turnover, but he fumbled the ball in overtime. Fortunately for him, receiver Alec Pierce recovered it. Ryan also took 3 sacks.
With the inability to put the game away, a lot of analysts and fans on Twitter targeted Ryan for being part of another historic collapse.
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