Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers Look to Rebound From Bad Starts

Matt Ryan, 37, threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for the Tennessee Titans’ only touchdown, in a 19-10 loss that dropped the Indianapolis Colts to 3-3-1. The Colts rank 30th in the N.F.L. in scoring at 16.1 points per game. Colts Coach Frank Reich announced on Monday that Ryan would be benched in favor of the untested backup Sam Ehlinger for the rest of the season.

Four aging superstars with hefty salaries and stratospheric expectations, four different flavors of disappointment: Each of these unhappy quarterbacks is unhappy in his own way.

Ryan’s skills have been in gradual decline since his Most Valuable Player Award-winning season for the Atlanta Falcons in 2016. The Colts hoped a change of scenery and a better supporting cast would rejuvenate Ryan when they traded for him in March.

Instead, opponents quickly realized that Ryan, never a scrambler, is now about as mobile as a cellphone tower. Ryan has been blitzed a league-high 88 times this season, per Pro Football Reference. He leads the N.F.L. with nine interceptions and is tied for second in times sacked with 24.

Wilson’s miscommunications with his new teammates and coaches are most glaring inside opponents’ 20-yard line, where he has completed just 13 of 31 attempts for 64 yards and a single touchdown. For comparison’s sake, Patrick Mahomes has thrown 17 red zone touchdowns, and 28 N.F.L. quarterbacks have thrown at least four.

Wilson ignored wide-open teammate K.J. Hamler for what could have been an easy game-winning touchdown in overtime of a Week 4 loss to the Colts; Hamler lamented after the game that he “could’ve walked in” to the end zone. It often appears that the plays the Broncos are executing are different from the ones Wilson is visualizing.

Rodgers feels the absence of the All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, whom the Packers traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in the off-season, in large part because they needed cap space to pay Rodgers. Packers Coach Matt LaFleur uses presnap motion and other window dressing to help inexperienced receivers get open for short passes, and Rodgers has never been fond of motion, inexperienced receivers, short passes or head coaches.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/sports/football/tom-brady-aaron-rodgers.html