Plot twist! Colts QB Matt Ryan wishing to be back with Atlanta Falcons

When the Atlanta Falcons traded franchise quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts back in March, almost everyone was expecting to see Matt Ryan have the most success since his MVP season back in 2016-2017.

While we are just four weeks into the season, that has been anything but the case for Matty Ice as he is having the worst season of his career.

It is going so badly for him in Indianapolis that one can guess that he is regretting his decision to move on from the Atlanta Falcons.

Colts QB Matt Ryan is likely having second thoughts about moving on from the Atlanta Falcons

Who would have ever thought that we would be sitting here actually talking about the possibility that Matt Ryan regrets moving from the Atlanta Falcons to the Indianapolis Colts?

It is crazy, to say the least, but then again, this is the NFL where the most unexpected things usually happen.

Matt Ryan is four weeks into his career as the Indianapolis Colts and things have not been good. His team is 1-2-1 on the year with their only win coming in a slugfest against the Kansas City Chiefs.

To be honest, he could easily be 0-3-1 as the Chiefs’ star defensive tackle, Chris Jones had a costly penalty on the game-winning drive, but credit to Ryan and his team for rallying to take down Patrick Mahomes. You also have to credit Matt Ryan for carrying his team in week one, setting them up to kick a game-winning field goal to beat the Houston Texans, which was ultimately missed.

If you have had the opportunity to watch Ryan’s team then you know how slow they have looked. Every player on their offense seems to be moving in slow motion. Offensive linemen are missing blocks, receivers are not getting open and dropping passes, the running backs are getting hit before they cross the line of scrimmage, and Matt Ryan has seemed uncomfortable.

The one thing that has been going for Indianapolis is their defense as they have been keeping the game within reach for the most part. Their offense has had some success late in games but for the most part, it has been a total disaster.

Meanwhile, the Falcons are on a two-game winning streak despite many mistakes by Marcus Mariota. The team looks so much more stable than they have in a few years. They are taking advantage of opportunities and finishing games — at least over the past two weeks.

Also read: Winning is no excuse for the Atlanta Falcons to avoid Desmond Ridder

Needless to say, this looks to be a much different Atlanta Falcons team. They seem to finally be able to overcome adversity and put an end to games.

The tables have turned for the Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan’s Colts.

Think about the biggest issue the Atlanta Falcons had for much of Matt Ryan’s tenure in Atlanta, and what the Colts’ biggest strength was last year. The answer is the offensive line and the running game.

When the Falcons had issues in the passing game with Matt Ryan as the starter, it was because they couldn’t block and couldn’t run the ball. They were consistently one of the most one-dimensional offenses seemingly every year.

Last year, fans watched Jonathan Taylor rush for a league-leading 1,811 yards behind the likes of a strong offensive line with Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith, and co.

Matt Ryan last season with the Falcons had a respectable year despite the fact that he didn’t have Calvin Ridley for much of the year and had Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus as his top two wide receivers. We all figured that going from that receiving corps to one that featured Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Parris Campbell wouldn’t be too big of an issue, but that has been anything but the case.

It has been a combination of poor blocking in the run and pass game, bad wide receiver play, and, to be honest, poor ball security by Matt Ryan. All combining to make a very poor offense.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons are having a ton of success on the ground, the best pass protection they have had in quite a while, and a defense that has made critical stops in the last two weeks. When was the last time we could say that was the case for Matt Ryan? 2016?

It is just so weird how things have gone completely opposite of the way most people (including myself) thought they would. We expected Matt Ryan to line up behind a strong offensive line with good enough weapons and a dangerous running game, while we expected the Falcons offensive line to be a mess and everything else to be average. Anyway you look at it, it has been the polar opposite.

Instead, we have seen the Falcons rank as a top-five rushing team, limit pressure on the quarterback, and have good weapons in the passing game. The Colts look like what many thought the Falcons would look like, in fact, probably much worse than that.

However, Ryan does deserve some blame despite the fact he has had little help around him. Matt has already thrown five interceptions in four games when he had 12 interceptions in 17 games last year. This means he is on pace to throw over 20 interceptions on the season — he has never thrown more than 17 in a single season during his 14 other seasons.

What is even more concerning for Frank Reich’s Colts is that Ryan has fumbled nine times thus far. In his 14 full seasons in the NFL, he has only had three seasons where he has fumbled more than nine times. Again, he has as many or more fumbles in four games this year than 11 other seasons. He has lost three of those fumbles, his career high is five. It is insane how poorly it has gone for him and his team in what looked to be a promising season.

Behind his current offensive line, he is also on pace to be sacked 45+ times. He has only been sacked more than 45 times once in his career. The stats continue to get more and more mind-blowing.

Things are obviously far from over for Matty Ice and his team but early on it is looking like he would have been better off staying in Atlanta. Who knows if Arthur Smith would have been willing to bring him back but reports are that following the failed trade for Deshaun Watson that Ryan was the one who requested to be traded. It was probably time to move on from him but it might not have been the best thing for him as an individual.

It is too early to count out the veteran. Although unlikely with the magnitude of their issues, for all we know he will turn the ship around and guide them to the playoffs. Even looking beyond this year, he will probably have at least another year to prove himself to the organization. They are not likely to treat him like Carson Wentz.

For all that he brought to this organization, fans should wish the best for him and hope he can turn everything around. The country will get to watch him take on another team who snagged a long-time franchise quarterback in the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Denver’s defense has been really good, so if the trend continues for the Colts, then it will be a huge feat for them to pick up their second win of the season.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons are hoping to break the Tom Brady curse as they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Hopefully, Arthur Smith can get over .500 for the first time as a head coach in the NFL.