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With an Indianapolis Colts Week 1 game scheduled against the Houston Texans, Matt Ryan will find himself under center for a whole new team. Since 2008, Ryan has played for just one franchise in the NFL, but that's all about to change as he debuts in Indianapolis colors against Houston. Ahead of this Colts-Texans game, we’ll be making our Matt Ryan Week 1 bold predictions.
While he may not have much left in the tank, Matt Ryan is exactly the sort of quarterback the Colts were looking for. The 37-year-old is an intelligent passer who doesn't try to do too much with the ball. This will be a nice change after Carson Wentz's season in which the quarterback threw seven picks and had eight fumbles.
The Colts want Ryan to be a game manager. They want him to play smart and stick to the playbook. That means they also expect him to be measured in his approach. The former Falcons star shows no signs of slowing down and remains productive in his style of play. Ryan is at his best when he plays nice and easy. This should continue in 2022. Expect the veteran to stay in his lane and let the rest of the Colts' talented players do the heavy lifting.
Ryan certainly has the skill and experience to carry a team. He can do this in Week 1 and for the rest of the season, but he also knows this is not his team. He's the new kid in town, even if we're talking about an NFL MVP, All-Pro, and four-time Pro Bowler. Can Ryan fit in with the Colts and find some resurgence in Indy? Let's see and look at our Matt Ryan Week 1 bold predictions.
Matt Ryan clocks in for his #Colts debut.
Countdown to Kickoff 11AM @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/ixE0CYLmJS
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) September 11, 2022
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3. Matt Ryan gets sacked twice
Matt Ryan has been a sack magnet the last four seasons. Before 2018, Ryan had just one season where he was sacked 40+ times. Since 2018, however, he has been sacked 40+ times every single season. In 2021, Ryan was actually sacked 2.4 sacks per game.
The Colts, meanwhile, allowed just 32 sacks last year. That's a top-10 offensive line right there. Still, if Ryan overextends any play, he may find himself on the business end of a QB rush from Jonathan Greenard, who had eight sacks in 2021.
It will be interesting how the Texans play in this matchup, but they should get two sacks on Ryan in this contest.
2. Matt Ryan connects with Michael Pittman Jr. for a TD
Many have been critical of the Colts' receivers (or lack thereof) all summer. Other than the impressive Michael Pittman Jr., there seems to be a massive question mark, both at receiver and tight end. Nobody knows what to anticipate from the likes of Parris Campbell, Mo Alie-Cox, Alec Pierce, Kylen Granson, or Ashton Dulin. Who will take the lead and become Ryan's go-to guys?
Pittman it is. There really is no other choice, but as wideouts go, Pittman ain't too shabby. In his sophomore NFL season, Pittman more than doubled his receiving yards and put up +5 touchdowns. His targets per game also went way up from 4.7 in 2020 to 7.6 in 2021.
With a prolific QB in Ryan in town, expect Pittman to be targeted maybe even more. Particularly in this game, Ryan and Pittman should connect for at least one score on the Texans' defense.
1. Matt Ryan throws for 270+ yards
Last season, Matt Ryan struggled along with the rest of the Falcons' offense. He finished with fewer than 4,000 passing yards for the first time since 2010. Over here in Indy, he may actually still have limited passing attempts with the Colts. Recall that Indianapolis ranked 27th in pass attempts last season, but Ryan should be more efficient as opposition defenders will likely concentrate more on stopping the running assault.
Speaking of running assault, the Colts really are Jonathan Taylor's squad. He's the engine that keeps this squad chugging. Ryan's arrival won't really change that. Ryan will complement Taylor's gold-standard rushing game, not hamper it.
Having said that, look for Ryan to still hit upwards of 270 total yards in this game. He averaged just around 233 per game in 2021, but against a pretty mediocre Texans defense, Ryan should thrive.
He also has some extra motivation. Ryan needs 265 passing yards to reach 60,000 for his career. If he hits that mark in this game, that makes him only the eighth man in NFL history to reach 60,000 yards. He'd also become the second-fastest player in history to do it accomplishment (Drew Brees, 215 games). The bottom line is Matt Ryan has the experience, skill, and motivation to debut in a big-time way for the Colts. It would be foolish to bet against him in this contest.
