Report: Colts Sticking With QB Matt Ryan Ahead of Game Against Vikings

Don’t expect a sudden change at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts in the near future. After taking time to work and talk through things during the bye week, Interim head coach Jeff Saturday said Indy would be sticking with the veteran signal-caller ahead of Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

“Matt’s going to be our guy going into Saturday,” Saturday said, via IndyStar.

Coming off his worst performance of the season in which he had four costly turnovers, including three interceptions and one fumble, many wondered if Ryan, a former league MVP, should be benched for backup Nick Foles or the inexperienced Sam Ehlinger.

That’s not Indianapolis’ plan, and Saturday made that abundantly clear when speaking with local media members on Monday. Despite Ryan leading the league in turnovers with 17, with 4 fumbles and 13 interceptions, Saturday believes Ryan gives the Colts the best chance to win over their final four-game stretch.

Although Ryan has struggled in recent weeks, Saturday said the blame cannot be entirely placed at the feet of the veteran quarterback.

“You can’t put all of them on him,” Saturday said, via IndyStar. “Whether it’s the receivers, or whether it’s the back, whether it’s the tight end, guys being where they’re supposed to be, the expectations of the quarterback on where. Pressure being there, whether it’s from the offensive line or the running back, or the tight end. The timing of the play. … There’s a number of different things.”

Making the playoffs seems unlikely for the Colts. But even at 4-8-1, they’re not technically mathematically eliminated just yet. At this point in their season, though, Indy would need some help from other teams around the league to make it in, and nothing we’ve seen over the last few weeks — especially on offense — has indicated that the Colts are a playoff team.

Even so, Saturday’s belief in Ryan hasn’t waivered, and the interim head coach doubled down on his faith in the team’s veteran signal-caller. Indy’s offense as a whole, even with Ryan at the helm, has struggled mightily for much of this season.

Although Saturday plans to stick with Ryan as the quarterback going forward, with four games to go, whether or not the 37-year-old can cut down on the mistakes and help keep the Colts’ minor playoff aspirations alive remains to be seen.