When the Indianapolis Colts traded for quarterback Matt Ryan this offseason, it didn’t come with the expectation that he would regain his MVP caliber play from 2016.
While the 37-year-old passer shouldn’t realistically be in the conversation for the prestigious award in 2022, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a dark-horse candidate going into the campaign.
In the eyes of NFL.com’s Adam Schein, Ryan is his second-favorite dark-horse MVP candidate.
Indianapolis missed the playoffs last season with an inexplicable Week 18 loss in Jacksonville, understandably sent Carson Wentz packing to Washington, and traded for the former NFL MVP. Onward and upward, Colts!
Ryan is up in age — in fact, [May 17] is his 37th birthday — but I believe the four-time Pro Bowler has plenty of gas left in the tank. The fresh start will help. So will having Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, as well as a great offensive line and a fantastic defense. Ryan sorely missed those ingredients last year in Atlanta. Indy had ’em, but lacked leadership and stability at quarterback. Problem solved! Ryan has carved out a Hall of Fame career, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees with that sentiment. I think he leads the Colts back to the postseason via a division title, enjoying a sizzling campaign under center. That’s value.
For Ryan to be in the MVP conversation, a lot will have to go right. Michael Pittman Jr. will need to continue his ascension as a true WR1 while others in the receiving corps will have to step up. Whether that be the likes of rookie Alec Pierce or someone like Parris Campbell, there needs to be a viable secondary threat in the passing game.
Ryan has been the model of consistency throughout his career. Since the start of the 2011 season, Ryan has dipped below 4,000 passing yards just once (2021) and has thrown fewer than 26 touchdown passes in a season just three times (2015, 2017, 2021).
But for Ryan to truly be an MVP, he will have to put up some gaudy numbers. When he earned the award in 2016, he completed 69.9% of his passes for 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions. We shouldn’t expect those kinds of numbers.
It’s going to take a lot for Ryan to have a legitimate shot at winning the MVP award and while we shouldn’t expect that, the Colts brought him over to simply play his game, make smart decisions and lead the offense with consistency.
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