One underrated player on each Jaguars AFC South rival

No. 1 Jaguars underrated AFC South rival: Matt Ryan, QB – Colts

Matt Ryan is one of those quarterbacks that don’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve but aren’t elite either, just like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr. They’re better than average and many teams would like to have someone like them under center. On the other hand, they’re the kind of signal-callers that will sometimes make decisions that will raise your eyebrows.

This is to say Ryan will make the Indianapolis Colts better. Maybe not Super Bowl-caliber better, but an upgrade at quarterback nonetheless. General manager Chris Ballard has done a good job of consistently replenishing Indy’s roster. However, he hasn’t been able to get the position right since Andrew Luck retired.

Philip Rivers played well during his sole year in Indianapolis but then proceeded to step away from football. Carson Wentz was supposed to be even better than his predecessor but his tenure with the Colts only lasted one season and it didn’t go particularly well. As a matter of fact, Ballard cut his losses and traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders for basically two third-round picks just one year after giving away one first-rounder and a third-round pick for him.

Last year, Ryan completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,968 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions despite the fact that Calvin Ridley suddenly retired and the Atlanta Falcons traded Julio Jones to the Titans in the offseason. It’s true that Ryan is no longer in his prime but he’s got a few years left him, which will be enough to help the Colts compete for a playoff berth in 2022.