The Colts got their first win of the season on Sunday, taking advantage of the Chiefs doing everything they could to keep Indianapolis in the game.
While quarterback Matt Ryan had some poor moments, he also executed the plays on Indianapolis’ 16-play, 76-yard drive that took 8:14 off the clock and won the game. Ryan finished 27-of-37 passing for 222 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He had a pair of fumbles, too, with one lost. The other came on a fourth-down sack for a turnover on downs.
After the game, head coach Frank Reich said Ryan was clutch, making the key throws when needed down the stretch.
“That’s what I love about Matt. The guy is — you cannot faze him,” Reich said in his press conference. “I’ve been around a lot of great ones, but as far as guys that are on to the next play, Matt is as good — he’s certainly as good as anybody I’ve been around. There are some other guys, you know, the Peyton Mannings of the world, but Matt Ryan is unflappable. The guy is unflappable. You try to say, hey — he’s already on to the next play. He’s already to the next play.
“I think that’s why over his career, why he’s been able to do what he’s done in the clutch, in the fourth quarter. I think that’s a testament to him. It’s not always going to be pretty, but we bounced back.”
Reich added that some of the ugliness from the offense was on Ryan, though a lot wasn’t as the Colts continue to try and improve.
But the leadership Ryan displayed during the comeback is a big part of why the Colts wanted him during the offseason.
“[T]his is when you look at over the last few years, we’ve had some moments in the fourth quarter where we just didn’t make some plays like we made today to win a game,” Reich said. “It doesn’t matter that there were some ugly series or there were a couple fumbles and at times the protection wasn’t what it should be, and it wasn’t only on— they had some pressures. I’ve got to look at all the film on why, and we’ll get that cleaned up, but Matt, like I said, the guy is unflappable.”
Now at 1-1-1, the Colts will host the Titans next weekend for a key divisional matchup.