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stephen holderESPN
LAS VEGAS — Just weeks after the Colts named Sam Ellinger their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, veteran Matt Ryan is back for Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Starting lineup — Here’s how the team will start under interim coach Jeff Saturday.
After Ryan’s shoulder separation, the Colts moved to Ellinger ahead of their Week 8 game against the Washington Commanders. At the time, head coach Frank Reich, who was fired on Monday and replaced on Saturday, said the move was permanent. Owner Jim Irsay heavily influenced the decision, sources told ESPN.
But Ryan returned to training this week and appeared to have a change of heart on Saturday. That decision came after Saturday, when, during his introductory news conference, Ellinger said he would stay on as the starting quarterback.
But on Friday and Saturday, things started to go backwards.
Asked how he came to the decision to start Erlinger, he said Saturday: “I’ve been evaluating. I’ve told those guys, no matter how you think about it, it’s not a closed game. I’m going to take the best. The 11 guys put on top. So whatever we can do to win the game, that’s what we’ll do. Both have been training for weeks. Sam, for a young man, is a lot of energy. He’s bringing a lot of pop. Matt, get out there too, and I’m impressed. He’s out there throwing it all over the place.”
“It’s going to depend on who I start at quarterback,” added Saturday, when asked about Irsay’s push for a decision.
The Colts are 0-2 with Ellinger as the starter. In last week’s loss to the New England Patriots, the Colts had one of the worst offenses in history as they went 0-for-14 on third down for 121 total yards — It was the fewest since 1997.