The Indianapolis Colts collapsed in the last game of the season last year, losing to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and missing out on the 2021 playoffs. Colts fans, media, and the organization as a whole placed the blame squarely on quarterback Carson Wentz and shipped him off to Washington. However, after replacing Wentz with Matt Ryan, the team picked up right where they left off, playing down to their opposition in a Colts Week 1 tie with the Houston Texans. Now, the Colts and their fans must face the harsh reality that they have bigger problems than just Wentz.

Matt Ryan and the Colts' Week 1 performance vs. the Texans take heat off Carson Wentz

All the Colts needed to do in Week 18 of the 2021 NFL season was beat the 2-14 Jaguars, and they were in the playoffs.

The team couldn’t accomplish this meager feat, falling to Trevor Lawrence and the Jags, 26-11. Quarterback Carson Wentz didn’t play well at all in this game, going 17-of-29 for 185 yards with one touchdown, one interception, and taking six sacks.

During the 2022 offseason, the Colts traded Carson Wentz to the Commanders and “upgraded” the QB spot by trading for 37-year-old signal-caller Matt Ryan.

The Colts and their fans heralded this move as the change the team needed to get over the hump and get back to the playoffs. However, in the Colts Week 1 matchup with the Texans — supposedly one of the worst teams in the NFL this year — the team laid an egg and needed a furious late comeback to salvage a 20-20 tie.

Matt Ryan didn’t perform all that much better than Carson Wentz in the team’s opener vs. the Texans. The veteran QB was 32-of-50 for 352 yards with one TD, one INT, and he took two sacks.

In the first three quarters, the Colts' drives went punt, field goal, loss of downs, interception, punt, fumble, punt. By the end of the third, Matt Ryan and company were down 20-3 to the Texans.

The team did come roaring back in the fourth to put up 17 unanswered points but failed to score in overtime to secure the W. The play-calling, pass-protection, quarterback play, and lack of big-time playmakers (outside of Jonathan Taylor) were on full display during four of the five periods of football in the Colts Week 1 draw.

On the other side of the equation, Carson Wentz played well enough to get the Commanders a win in Week 1 vs. those same Jaguars the Colts lost to at the end of last season.

Wentz was 27-of-41 for 313 yards with four TDs, two INTs, and two sacks. It wasn’t a virtuoso performance by any means, but it was enough to get the win when the rest of the team played relatively well.

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It’s easy for the Colts and their supporters to heap all the blame on Carson Wentz, but the game against the Texans shows that there are more problems than just the quarterback position.

Frank Reich and the Colts coaching staff need to figure some things out in Week 2 when the team again faces the Jaguars. They need to decide on the right pass/run balance and figure out how to pump up the passing game for Matt Ryan, even without a true No. 1 wideout.

Week 2 is now a must-win for the Colts as the schedule gets tough after that. Week 3 brings the Kansas City Chiefs, Week 4 has a matchup with division-rival Tennessee Titans, and Week 5 has the Denver Broncos.

If the Colts continue to play like this, an 0-4-1 start to the season isn’t out of the question. And that would drive Colts fans wild, while also putting a smile on the face of Carson Wentz.