Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts were shutout 24-0 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, starting the season out 0-2. Despite the poor performance from the team and offseason addition veteran Matt Ryan, head coach Frank Reich still believes in his quarterback.
“What I love about Matt is that he takes responsibility. He’s the leader. I could not be happier that he’s our quarterback. He’s an elite leader and I really believe he can be an elite player in this offense. We’ve all got to pull it together. We all have got to carry our own weight, each one of us, including him and everybody on that offense.”
Frank Reich is definitely on the hot seat after his team's performance through the first two weeks of the season. The last time the Colts were shutout was in 2018, which was also against the Jaguars.
The Colts have been disappointing to say the least, and it starts with Matt Ryan. He has thrown just one touchdown to four interceptions, and his QBR is 6th worst in the NFL (31.2). Ryan's best target Michael Pittman Jr. was out on Sunday due to a quad injury, and he clearly needed the wideout in the loss. Jonathan Taylor, one of the best running backs in the NFL, had an unbelievable first week, rushing for 161 yards on 31 carries, but barely touched the ball against the Jaguars because the team was down the whole game.
“I mean the protection yesterday wasn’t our best effort. He was under duress a number of times,” Reich said in his press conference. “There’s still mistakes that he made, that we all make, but I think overall — listen, I understand how the quarterback position is. You’re really dependent on everybody else on there, but you’re at the center of it so you have to make it work.
Frank Reich seemed to criticize Matt Ryan while also emphasizing his belief in the veteran quarterback. At the end of the day, Matt Ryan is 37 years old and in the twilight years of his career, but he is a capable quarterback that is just a few years removed from some impressive seasons.
After the Colts crumble in Jacksonville in Week 18 last season to miss the playoffs, they managed to do the same here in Week 2. Matt Ryan's Colts career is not off to a hot start, and more questions will arise if he and Frank Reich don't win some games soon.
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