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Matt Ryan Reveals What Colts’ Mindset Is Moving Forward

With the Indianapolis Colts season spiraling, Matt Ryan opens up on how the team is preparing for the Dallas Cowboys and their final five games.

Matt Ryan is a smart man.

He knows that the odds are stacked against him and the Indianapolis Colts. Sitting at 4-7-1, the Colts are still mathematically eligible for the playoffs. But Indy would need to run the table over the next month to have a realistic chance of making the postseason.

Ripping off five consecutive wins to end the season seems unlikely. The Colts have lost five of their last six games. Combine that with the fact the Colts’ next four games come against teams currently in playoff positions, and the feat seems insurmountable.

It can be easy to assume that if and when the Colts are eliminated from the playoffs, the team may start to mail it in. If they cannot make the postseason, what do they have to play for? Ryan doesn’t see it that way.

“It still matters,” Ryan explained. “Every time we step on that field it matters. We’ve got a young team. We’ve got a lot of guys who this might be their first time kind of going through that experience. Whether you’re playing here or whether you’re playing somewhere else, every time you put it out it’s your resume. There’s a lot to play for.”

Ryan has experienced it all throughout his 15-year career. He has been on teams just like this one, struggling to get wins and keep their playoff hopes alive. He has also played on teams fighting for the top seed in the conference.

Nobody wants to play on a struggling team, and it can be hard to give it your all as a player when you know the season is not going anywhere. But how a player handles himself in this type of situation says a lot about the character and person that player is.

Nov 28, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan (2) walks off the field following the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“I’ve been in this spot before,” Ryan explained. “It’s never fun. You obviously want to be driving the ship. You want to be the one where the division is running through it, you’re playing for position and home field advantage. But I also told the guys, in these kinds of situations I’ve learned more about players that I’ve played with than in really any other situations. I’ve gained respect and lost respect for certain guys as you’re going through these things.”

If fans expect the Colts to give up on the season, that will not happen. As Ryan said, players are putting their reputations on the line whenever they step out onto the field. They are not playing for a high draft pick. They are playing for their jobs, and if they show on film that they are not trying to win, it will be noticed.

The Colts have a huge challenge ahead of them this week as they take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys are coming off a big win over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day and currently own the third-best record in the NFC at 8-3. The Cowboys also currently hold the top wild card spot in their conference and are looking to close in on the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East lead.

It is safe to say the Cowboys will want to make sure they take care of business against the Colts on Sunday Night Football. The Colts have played good teams well this season, beating the Kansas City Chiefs and taking the Eagles down to the wire. They will need to take advantage of their opportunities if they want to shock the football world in Dallas.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan (2) signals to the Indianapolis Colts offense Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

“We’ve got to be on point,” Ryan admitted. “Offensively, we’ve got to finish drives when we get the opportunity and can’t give the ball away. I think that’s it. Go play our game and go out there and cut it loose and believe in what we’re doing. When we get our chances – when you’re playing against good teams, when you get your chances to finish you have to have that killer instinct.”

That is what the Colts did not do against the Eagles. Indy led 13-3 to begin the fourth quarter over the team with the best record in football. They ended up losing 17-16. The Colts had multiple chances to put the game away and instead allowed the Eagles to snatch the win away.

The Colts will try to correct that against the Cowboys, making sure to keep the pedal down if they get out to a lead. While the Colts are major underdogs heading into the matchup, Ryan knows that any team can win on any given Sunday in the NFL.

“The one thing I’ve learned is you never know how games are going to shake out,” he said. “It doesn’t matter which two teams show up and what you’ve done up until this point. Each game shakes out differently. We have a really good defense too that they have to go against. Our job as an offense is to score one more – one more than whatever they put up. Whether that’s a high score game or a low score game we’ve got to find a way to get the job done.”

Can the Colts pull off the upset? That remains to be seen. But no matter their record or opponent, the Colts will not be mailing it in on the field.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!


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