The Indianapolis Colts may have turned around their entire season on Sunday afternoon.
Despite failing to come out with a win during their two games as favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans (tied the Texans in Week 1), the Colts were able to use a game-winning drive orchestrated by veteran quarterback Matt Ryan to take down the Kansas City Chiefs 20-17 on Sunday afternoon.
Even though the Colts notched their first win on the young season, they already find themselves as the AFC South betting favorites after pulling off the triumph over the Chiefs.
Colts Favorites to Win AFC South After Week 3
The Colts came into their matchup with the Chiefs as 5.5-point underdogs, 2-1 dogs on the money line. But after limiting the Chiefs to under 60 yards in the rushing game, Ryan was able to find tight end Jelani Woods for a 12-yard touchdown with just 26 seconds left to go up 20-17, a score that would hold up through the end of the game.
“That’s what I love about Matt. The guy is — you cannot faze him,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said in his press conference. “I’ve been around a lot of great ones, but as far as guys that are on to the next play, Matt is as good — he’s certainly as good as anybody I’ve been around. There are some other guys, you know, the Peyton Mannings of the world, but Matt Ryan is unflappable. The guy is unflappable. You try to say, hey — he’s already on to the next play. He’s already to the next play.
“I think that’s why over his career, why he’s been able to do what he’s done in the clutch, in the fourth quarter. I think that’s a testament to him. It’s not always going to be pretty, but we bounced back.”
The Colts have experimented with veteran quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz since Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement ahead of the 2019 season. But perhaps Ryan will prove to be the one signal-caller who can turn Indianapolis into a real contender.
They opened as 3-point favorites in their Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans at home.
