Thursday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos was one of the saddest displays of American football mankind has ever witnessed.
If the game were a music concert, we all would have bled from the ears — from beginning to the very unfortunate overtime ending. Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson were the hapless conductors we have to thank for that.
Two stars of years past, the quarterbacks looked mere shells of their former selves, whether physically or mentally. I’d sit through 100 live showings of Cats rather than watch what they subjected us to again.
The game was that bad, and it leaves me ready to make two declarations — one that has long been made by others while I held out hope and another that we’re all coming to realize at once.
The first and most obvious is that Ryan, a former league MVP, is washed … like, all the way washed. Hanging on a clothesline in the backyard waiting to be folded washed. Ironically, that’s exactly what happened Thursday night; he was folded for six sacks, leading to two of his record 11 fumbles through five games.
With his 11th fumble, Matt Ryan has now fumbled more than any player through 5 games since the 1970 merger. https://t.co/ufcxkEgVj6
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2022
The other declaration is that Wilson, a Super Bowl champion, is washed adjacent — washed until further notice. He still has the physical tools to be a good quarterback, but his decision-making is off. He isn’t seeing the field. Whether that can be corrected remains to be seen.
Maybe Wilson’s confidence is shot, as Ryan Fitzpatrick suggested on the postgame broadcast, or maybe Denver’s play-calling is failing to maximize his strengths. Likely, it’s a combination of the two. Either way, it’s leading to some really head-scratching (and meme-worthy) moments, incensed teammates, and fans who don’t care to stay for an entire game.
Last night, Russell Wilson went 0-6 on pass attempts to the end zone, including an interception.
He is now 2-18 on pass attempts to the end zone this season. That 11% completion rate is the worst in the NFL (min. 10 attempts). pic.twitter.com/1cPuW2rB4I
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2022
In a world where Tom Brady, 45, and Aaron Rodgers, 38, have put up mind-blowing numbers on the back-end of incredibly long careers, Thursday night’s game was a necessary reminder that those two are exceptions, not the rule. Calling Ryan, 37, and Wilson, 33, washed isn’t meant to be an insult, just a sad reality we all need to accept in order to adjust expectations for their teams. Sportsbooks have.
Though the Colts are still favored to win the AFC South with +162 odds at Tipico, they have shorter odds to miss the playoffs (-135) than make them (+110). The Broncos odds to miss the playoffs are even shorter at -280.
Maybe these versions of Ryan and Wilson can still do enough to defy the odds and ride good defenses into the postseason, but they aren’t likely to be the reasons for any team success. Wilson’s 36.9 QBR ranks 22nd in the NFL. Ryan’s 34.2 QBR is 25th. I think we’ve seen enough to call it. The stars are falling.
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