The Indianapolis Colts brought in quarterback Matt Ryan to provide more stability to the offense after spending the first 14 years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons.
As Pro Football Focus ranked each quarterback in how their grades differed between clean pockets and under pressure, Ryan had the 15th-highest grade differential during the 2021 season.
Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about Ryan handling pressure during his final campaign with the Falcons.
15. MATT RYAN, ATLANTA FALCONS
Clean-pocket Passing Grade: 87.8 | Pressured-pocket Passing Grade: 53.6 | Difference: 34.2
While 245 of his 617 dropbacks were under pressure, Ryan still completed 107, which was the top mark. His 1,246 yards were second-most, and he averaged 6.4 yards per pressured dropback. While he completed a second-ranked 16 big-time throws, he also had 15 turnover-worthy players and 40 sacks.
While it may be a bit subjective, there’s an easy narrative to latch onto in terms of why he had so many turnover-worthy plays and sacks.
The offensive line Ryan was working with during the 2021 season was rough. That may be putting it nicely. There’s a possibility that Ryan was trying to do too much to compensate for the lack of help offensively, but we don’t expect him to do that with the Colts.
While there are plenty of players on the Colts offense that will need to prove themselves this year, Ryan has never had a running back like Jonathan Taylor. In addition, the emergence of Michael Pittman Jr. gives him another talent in the passing game.
But the biggest difference will be the offensive line. The Colts may not have been up to their elite standards in 2021, but they should still be a top-10 unit. This is especially true if Matt Pyror or rookie Bernhard Raimman excel at left tackle.
Ryan should bring some stability to the passing attack, and the upgrade at offensive line should help take the pressure off of the 37-year-old.
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