Indianapolis Colts Odds After Matt Ryan Trade

Indianapolis Colts Land Matt Ryan

The quarterback carousel continues to spin in the NFL. We’ve seen a flurry of movement among top signal callers over the last two weeks, and Matt Ryan is the latest quarterback on the move. Indianapolis is trading a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to Atlanta for Ryan, going with another veteran signal caller after dealing Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders two weeks ago. 

That clearly establishes Indianapolis as Tennessee’s main competition in the AFC South. The Titans are down to +110 to win the division, while the Colts are just behind them at +120. Meanwhile, the Falcons are clearly in a rebuild now, and they have some of the longest Super Bowl betting odds on the board.

AFC South Division Odds

• Tennessee Titans +120
• Indianapolis Colts +120
• Jacksonville Jaguars +650
• Houston Texans +2200

Odds per DraftKings - Subject to Change

Third Time Is The Charm?

This is the third straight season that Indianapolis has brought in an established quarterback to try to turn the Colts back into Super Bowl contenders. Indianapolis was a regular playoff team for two decades with Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck at the helm, but Luck’s surprise retirement following the 2018 season has left this team looking for a leader at that position.

Philip Rivers played his last year with Indianapolis in 2020 before retiring, and the Colts rolled the dice with Carson Wentz last season. Neither Rivers nor Wentz worked out well, but there is hope that Ryan can be the pivot this team has lacked for the last few seasons.

Ryan will be turning 37 in May. He has more tread on the tires than Rivers, so the Colts may be able to get two or three good years out of the Boston College product. Ryan failed to throw for over 4,000 yards for the first time in a decade last season, but he did not have good options aside from rookie tight end Kyle Pitts after Julio Jones was traded to Tennessee and Calvin Ridley stepped away from the team.

Although he is in the twilight of his career, Ryan is a better quarterback than Wentz. He now has a competent offense and the best offensive line in the game to keep him upright, so he has the potential to post big numbers once again in 2022.

Atlanta Is Finally Tearing It Down

The Falcons won 10 or more games six times with Ryan at the helm, but the franchise has been treading water for the last four seasons. Atlanta won seven games in 2018, 2019, and 2021, putting itself right in the middle of the pack, and that’s exactly where you don’t want to be for an extended period.

There’s not much to like on this offense aside from Kyle Pitts and the versatile Cordarrelle Patterson. Feleipe Franks is currently the only quarterback on the roster, and it’s very unlikely he will be the starter. Atlanta will probably end up taking a quarterback in April in order to look towards the future.

NFC South Odds

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers -280
• New Orleans Saints +450
• Atlanta Falcons +850
• Carolina Panthers +1000

Odds per DraftKings - Subject to Change

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• Compare the latest NFL Odds from the best sportsbooks before placing a bet on this week's games.
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