Getty Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan returned to practice ahead of Week 10.
Four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan will do something in Week 10 that he’s never done previously in his NFL career.
Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday announced in a press conference on November 11 that Ryan will serve as the backup quarterback for Indianapolis in Week 10.
Saturday also said veteran signal caller Nick Foles will be inactive against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sam Ehlinger will make the third start of his career.
Ehlinger Starts, Ryan in New Role
After getting drafted at No. 3 overall in the 2008 NFL draft, Ryan immediately started as a rookie in 2008. During 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, he missed only 3 games, all of which were due to injury.
Ryan started the first 7 games of this season for the Colts before getting benched, but he was also ruled out of the last 2 contests because of a shoulder injury. Therefore, against the Raiders will be the first time Ryan is active and not on the field to start an NFL game.
The 2016 MVP has struggled with turnovers this season. He leads the NFL with 9 interceptions and 11 fumbles. At one point, he was on pace to blow past the previous record for most fumbles in a single NFL season.
But Ryan has also a steady presence for the Colts in the time of adversity. He leads the league with 4 fourth-quarter comebacks this season.
Indianapolis hasn’t won a game yet during 2022 in which Ryan didn’t lead them back from a deficit during the fourth quarter. Ryan also recorded a game-winning drive in all three of Indianapolis’ victories this season.
Ehlinger has started the last two weeks and produced mixed results. He’s a lot more mobile than Ryan, which is an advantage behind a shaky Colts offensive line.
The second-year quarterback was efficient in his debut, throwing for 8.7 yards per pass and completing nearly 74% of his throws. But Ehlinger was no match for Bill Belichick against the New England Patriots. He was just 15-for-29 with 103 passing yards and an interception. He also took 9 sacks.
Ehlinger has limited his major mistakes. His interception bounced off a receiver’s hand, so that arguably wasn’t his fault. But Ehlinger isn’t responsible for a touchdown in either of his two starts this season.
‘Not a Closed Competition’ at Quarterback
But even as Ehlinger remains the starter behind center for the Colts, Indianapolis has not ruled out returning to Ryan at some point this season.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said on November 8 that the team could use all three of their quarterbacks (Nick Foles being the third). Saturday confirmed that in front of the media on November 11.
“I evaluate all the time,” said Saturday. “I tell those guys that this is not a closed competition by any stretch of the imagination.
“I’ve been very happy to get everybody back healthy.”
The interim head coach added that he will not hesitate to turn to Ryan another week late in the season. Saturday says he will be playing the quarterback who gives the team the best chance to win.
He also said that it will be him deciding who will start behind center.
Reports have surfaced that Irsay has been more involved in the decision making for the Colts recently, and rumors have circled that he’s responsible for the quarterback change in Indianapolis. Again, he spoke publicly about the position on November 8.
Saturday did his best to squash the developing narrative that Irsay is pulling the strings behind the scenes.
“It’ll be up to me who starts at quarterback.”