Colts Bench Matt Ryan: How Sam Ehlinger Impacts Colts This Season
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images. Pictured: Sam Ehlinger.
No one expected Matt Ryan to not make it through Monday as the Colts' starting quarterback, but here we are.
After Indianapolis lost its second game to the Titans this year, head coach Frank Reich announced that Sam Ehlinger is going to be the starting quarterback the rest of the season.
Ryan has a shoulder strain, which apparently has been hindering his performance. So, Ehlinger is going to take over with Nick Foles as the Colts' backup QB.
Commanders +3 | Colts -3
Indianapolis is 3-3-1, so it seems like an odd time to suddenly give an unproven QB a chance to start. Ryan hasn't exactly been good this season, though. The Colts are 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Titans in the AFC South, and Tennessee has already won both head-to-head matchups.
Through seven weeks, Ryan ranked 32nd of 34 qualified quarterbacks in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric.
Ryan is completing a strong 68.3% of his passes this season, but his 6.8 yards per attempt would be his lowest since 2008. Nine interceptions through seven games also puts him on pace for an unwanted career record.
What It Means
According to Sean Koerner, there's about a 1.5-point drop in Colts spreads with the move from Ryan to Ehlinger. That the drop isn't more drastic speaks to how poorly Ryan has played.
Ehlinger will be the seventh quarterback that Frank Reich has had since he was hired in 2018. It's obvious the Colts need a long-term answer under center, something they've been lacking since Andrew Luck's retirement. This gives Ehlinger the chance to prove he has what it takes to be that guy.
Commanders vs. Colts Odds
| Commanders Odds | +3 |
| Colts Odds | -3 |
| Moneyline | +136 / -162 |
| Over/Under | 40.5 |
| Time | Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET |
| TV | FOX |
| Odds via FanDuel as of 2:18 p.m. ET. | |
After the Sunday afternoon slate of Week 7, the Colts were 6-point favorites over the Commanders. That line was quickly bet down, though, and it sits at Colts -3 as of 2:15 p.m. ET. There was no immediate movement with the announcement that Ehlinger will be the starting QB.
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