The Colts defeated the Jaguars last week behind quarterback Matt Ryan’s arm, as he completed 42-of-58 passes for 389 yards with three touchdowns.
One of the reasons Ryan had to pass so many times was because star running back Jonathan Taylor was out due to injury. Generally, Ryan isn’t going to pass that many times in a game.
“Yes, listen, we’re not going to throw it 50 times every week. It’s just not going to happen,” Ryan said in his Wednesday press conference. “I don’t know how many times even in my career, but it’s less than a dozen. So, it’s not going to happen all the time.
“It happens occasionally, and when it does you have to make it work. But more often than not, you’re striving for some balance. I think on balance for the year, I think those things kind of tend to come back more towards a balance with the offense.”
Ryan actually was not correct about the number of times he’s thrown at least 50 passes in his career. Including Sunday’s win, it’s now 14 times, with Ryan compiling a 4-9-1 record. The tie was from this season, Week One against the Texans.
While that 50-pass approach likely isn’t sustainable, Ryan has at least illustrated that he’s still capable of getting it done when necessary.
“[Y]ou do what you have to do in order to win football games,” Ryan said. “Obviously, that’s not going to be every week where you’re throwing the football that much. The good part about our guys is to a man, 11 guys out there, no matter what’s going on they’re going to compete. They’re not really worried about how we do it. It’s just about finding a way to get it done.”