Frank Reich Backs Matt Ryan as Colts Starter; QB Has 10 Turnovers Through 5 Weeks

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich remains confident in Matt Ryan despite the veteran quarterback's shaky start to the 2022 NFL season.

"My evaluation and my comfort with Matt Ryan as our starting quarterback is very high," Reich told reporters Monday.

Ryan is tied with Matthew Stafford for the league lead in interceptions (seven) and has already matched his career high for fumbles (11).

Ryan's performance so far has been nothing short of a disaster given that he was supposed to be the missing piece that helped lift Indianapolis into Super Bowl contention.

Nobody expected to see the 2016 MVP version of Ryan when the Colts traded for him in the offseason. But the hope was that he could still perform at a high enough level to be an upgrade over Carson Wentz.

Instead, Indianapolis might be getting worse quarterback play.

Reich doesn't have much choice but to keep the faith in Ryan. Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger are the next two QBs in the depth chart, and neither is a workable solution in a starting role.

Cutting down on the turnovers could go a long way toward improving the narrative for Ryan. His 275.2 passing yards per game and 65.5 percent completion rate are right around his career averages.

But being more efficient through the air might not matter that much given the current state of Indianapolis' offensive line. The unit has allowed 21 sacks, the most in the NFL, and its work in the running game hasn't been much better. Jonathan Taylor's yards per carry have fallen from 5.0 and 5.5 in 2020 and 2021 to 4.0.

Regardless, the short-term bet on Ryan hasn't paid off so far, and at this rate, the Colts are heading into yet another offseason in which they need to target a quarterback.