The Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1) are moving into a different situation halfway through the season as they named Sam Ehlinger the starting quarterback over Matt Ryan for the remainder of the campaign.
The loss in Week 7 to the Tennessee Titans was the final straw as the Colts look to salvage what they can of a lost season. It’s reflected in the power rankings as the Colts moved down in every publication.
Here’s where the Colts sit in the latest roundup of power rankings.:
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 28 (-8)
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Author’s Take: “Bold move to make the switch from veteran QB Matt Ryan to preseason star Sam Ehlinger. Still, the owner matchup between Jim Irsay and Snyder is the juiciest subplot of Week 8’s showdown with the Commanders.”
Bleacher Report
Author: NFL Staff
Rank: 16 (-2)
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Author’s Take: “Scoring has been an issue for the Colts all season long. The team has topped 20 points in a game just once, and that was against the Jaguars. But if Sunday’s loss to Tennessee was any indication, that output was less turning a corner and more one fluke outing against a bad team.
After Indy’s latest offensive dud, head coach Frank Reich said the team is working toward correcting the issue, even if the results aren’t there yet.
“The name of the game is points, right?” Reich said. “We’re not scoring enough points. I think we’ve made progress in some of those areas. I think we’ve found more rhythm lately. We just have to find the end zone more.”
That’s the problem with these Colts, though. Every time the team takes a step forward, it’s followed by two back. Fresh off last week’s win (arguably the Colts’ best game of the year), Indy was a mistake-prone mess again against the rival Titans. In the last three meetings with Tennessee, the Colts have turned the ball over a whopping nine times, including three on Sunday.
There are big changes afoot though. With Matt Ryan dealing with a shoulder injury, Reich said Monday that Sam Ehlinger will start under center against the Commanders this week. It’s not a temporary thing, either.
Per Reich, Ehlinger will start the rest of the season.”
ESPN NFL Nation
Author: Stephen Holder
Rank: 22 (-2)
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Author’s Take: “The Colts are averaging just 16.1 points per game, and it isn’t good enough. QB Matt Ryan has now been benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger. The Colts have a viable defense that on Sunday didn’t allow a touchdown against the Titans. But they have been so anemic on offense that almost nothing else matters. Time will tell whether the newly promoted starter can spark the team, but if the likes of Ryan and Jonathan Taylor can’t transcend the Colts’ offensive line play, who can?”
Sporting News
Author: Vinnie Iyer
Rank: 18 (-1)
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Author’s Take: “The Colts transformed right back into a sloppy offense on the road with Matt Ryan despite welcoming back Jonathan Taylor. They threw away a game they could have won with a few mistakes, wasting a good effort by a shorthanded defense that will only get better.”
List Wire
Author: Barry Werner
Rank: 21 (-4)
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Author’s Take: “All you need to know about the AFC South is the Colts lost to the Titans and it was as if the game wasn’t played. No interest. No highlights? Know Indianapolis has lost twice to Tennessee in the first half of the season. The only hope is a wild card? Next: vs. Washington Commanders”
Pro Football Network
Author: Dalton Miller
Rank: 23 (-5)
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Author’s Take: “Matt Ryan doesn’t stand a chance. Make no mistake, Ryan needs to be put out on the clothesline, but like Rodgers in Green Bay, he has quite a bit working against him. The Colts’ offensive line has disintegrated over the past few years, and Chris Ballard’s penny-pinching nature has affected the roster greatly.
Tennessee has their number. Indianapolis has now lost five straight against Tennessee and is now in quite a hole in the AFC South. With an unkind schedule ahead, things don’t look good for their division title hopes.”
NFL.com
Author: Dan Hanzus
Rank: 26 (-5)
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Author’s Take: “Andrew Luck to Jacoby Brissett to Philip Rivers to Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan … to Sam Ehlinger? In a stunning turn of events, the Colts announced Monday that Ryan will be benched for the duration of the season in favor of Ehlinger, a preseason superstar with zero career starts. Ryan certainly earned a benching with his leaden, turnover-prone play, but parachuting out of the latest expensive-veteran-QB gamble after just seven games begs some very important questions about who is actually running the show in Indy. It goes without saying that both GM Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich stand on very shaky ground.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 18 (-3)
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Author’s Take: “They are in a hole in the division because of the two losses to the Titans. Matt Ryan turned it over again against the Titans, which led to his being benched. It’s Sam Ehlinger time.”
