Matt Ryan’s Indianapolis Colts Could Emerge As Dark-Horse Team In AFC

The Indianapolis Colts may have finally found their quarterback.

After four consecutive seasons of different starting quarterbacks, the Colts appear as if they’ve found one that will start for multiple seasons in Matt Ryan. Indianapolis made waves last week when they traded a third-round draft pick for the veteran quarterback.

The former MVP and Atlanta Falcons quarterback will look to have the same effect that Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford did in their first season with their new teams — win a Super Bowl. And considering the Colts came within a win of clinching their second consecutive playoff berth last season, it’s a realistic possibility.

“The road map looks really good,” Ryan said in his introductory press conference with the Colts. “What Matthew Stafford did in L.A. last year, making that transition playing so well, and what Tom (Brady) did, I saw that firsthand in the division the year before, hopefully we bottle up some of that momentum and we can make a push here. I really believe we could. … I think we can, like I said, ride that trend that’s been going on and make it work for us.”

According to Draft Kings Sportsbook, the Colts have the sixth-highest betting odds of winning the AFC at +2000 odds, tied with the defending Super Bowl champion Cincinnati Bengals.

The Colts return arguably the best rushing attack in the league led by Jonathan Taylor along with a top 10 defensive unit that ranked second in the league in turnovers forced.

Furthermore, after four straight seasons of being sacked at least 40 times — he was the sixth-most sacked QB in the league last season — he’ll join a team that has one of the best offensive lines in the league. The Colts have two Pro Bowlers along the offensive line in center Ryan Kelly and left guard Quenton Nelson.

And while they will play in the rugged AFC, they’ll also likely play in the weakest division in the conference with two teams — the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars — that will have two of the top three draft picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft.

Ryan is well aware of how well-stacked the Colts’ roster is as he looks to clinch his first playoff berth since the 2017 season.

“I’m coming into a building that has been set up extremely well and a roster that has been set up to win, and they’ve done a great job of putting that together,” said Ryan. “I am so fired up to get to work and be able to get on the field with these guys and try to do my part to help this team win as many games as we can.”

Head coach Frank Reich — who has coached the Colts amid their carousel of quarterbacks over the past four years — is well aware that Indianapolis and Ryan needed each other.

“I think everyone saw from the outside that this is a good fit,” Reich said. “Like, people can universally agree you got a guy who’s still playing at a high level with a team and roster that is built to make some noise. We needed each other.”

With a roster built to win, a weak division and a schedule — the Colts will play the NFC East during their 17-game regular season slate — that is favorable, Ryan could very well lead the Colts to the same type of success as Brady and Stafford have done in recent years.