INDIANAPOLIS – There was no unwavering support for Matt Ryan.

Less than 24 hours after his Indianapolis Colts suffered the greatest collapse in the 102-year history of the NFL, interim head coach Jeff Saturday declined to declare he’s sticking with his struggling 37-year-old quarterback.

Everything and everybody will be evaluated in the aftermath of Saturday’s historic 39-36 overtime loss at Minnesota. And that includes Ryan.

The Colts led 33-0 at halftime, then suffered the biggest collapse in league history.

Even though the defense allowed 39 points after halftime – five touchdowns, Greg Joseph’s game-winning 40-yard field goal – Ryan and the offense were culpable. They scored just one touchdown all day and managed a meager 132 total yards after halftime.

Might it be time for Saturday to bench Ryan and turn to backup Nick Foles or No. 3 QB Sam Ehlinger when the Colts return to action Dec. 26 against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football?

“No, I honestly haven’t even thought . . . I haven’t got that far,’’ Saturday said. “I’ve watched this tape now a number of times, but I haven’t gotten into any of that.

“I’ll do the same as I do every week. I’ll sit down tonight and with the staff in the morning and go through everything. But we’ll ultimately make the decision that I feel is best and we feel is best as a staff to give us the best chance to win.

“I haven’t really given any consideration at any position honestly.’’

Ryan was benched following the 19-10 loss at Tennessee Oct. 23 – it was owner Jim Irsay’s decision and delivered by then-coach Frank Reich – but he was going to miss the next two games after suffering a Grade 2 separation to his right shoulder.

After he was named interim coach following the firing of Reich Nov. 7, Saturday initially named Ehlinger the starter for a third straight game, but changed his mind a few days later and turned to Ryan.

Ryan led the Colts to a 25-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders by completing 21-of-28 passes for 222 yards and a 35-yard touchdown to Parris Campbell.

“I felt like Matt gave us the best chance to win,’’ Saturday said after the game.

But since Saturday’s first game as interim coach, Ryan and the offense – especially the passing game – have struggled mightily.

During the current four-game losing streak that’s dropped the Colts to 4-9-1, Ryan has completed 62.5% of his passes and averaged 206.8 yards per game. He’s averaged 6.1 yards per attempt and 9.7 yards per completion.

Consider the 49 possessions, excluding kneel-downs, the offense has had over the last four games. There have been more turnovers (nine) than touchdowns (six), 11 field goals and 17 punts.

The offense has converted 5-of-8 fourth-down opportunities during the last four games, but is 18-of-59 (30.1%) on third downs.

The offensive impotency was at its worst after Indy stormed to the 33-0 halftime lead at Minnesota. Nine legitimate possessions resulted in Chase McLaughlin’s 52-yard field goal, six Matt Haack punts, a Deon Jackson fumble and a failed fourth-and-inches sneak by Ryan.

Had the offense made just one or two plays at the right time, the Vikings’ epic comeback probably would have fallen short.

“It’s not much,’’ Ryan said after the game. “It’s a handful of plays in a game. It’s three or four plays from an offensive perspective that we’ve got to find ways to execute, and it’s a win.

“We just didn’t make them.’’

That’s been the case all season. The offense entered the Vikings game ranked 25^th in total yards (318.0), 26^th in rushing (100.2), 19^th in passing (217.8) and 31^st in points for game (16.1). It had only 20 touchdowns, tied with Houston and Pittsburgh for the second-fewest in the league. Denver had 18.

Again, is it time for a change?

Foles was signed in April to a two-year, $6.2 million contract that included $4 million in guarantees. The MVP of the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LII win over New England has been on the field for two snaps, both in the 24-0 loss to Jacksonville in week 2.

For his career, Foles has appeared in 69 games and posted a 29-27 record as a starter. He’s passed for 14,003 yards with 82 touchdowns and 43 interceptions.

Ehlinger’s only meaningful exposure since being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 draft has been starts this season against Washington (a 17-16 loss) and at New England (a 26-3 loss). He’s completed 61.5% of his passes for 304 yards with one interception the Patriots returned for a touchdown.

No regrets on fourth-and-inches

Saturday drew criticism regarding a fourth-down decision late in the fourth quarter. Leading 36-28 and facing fourth-and-inches at the Vikings 36 with 2:31 remaining, he had Ryan attempt a sneak rather than have McLaughlin attempt a 53-yard field goal.

A successful sneak would have kept the drive alive and probably allowed the Colts to run out the clock. The Vikings were out of timeouts and the clock only would have stopped at the 2-minute warning.

A successful McLaughlin field goal – he was 5-for-5 on the day, and had converted a 52-yarder in the third quarter – would have given the Colts a two-possession lead.

The decision blew up on the Colts when Ryan was ruled short on the line to gain. It appeared a final lunge gave him the necessary yardage, but the officials had apparently whistled the play dead before that.

On the next play, Dalvin Cook took a Kirk Cousins’ screen pass 64 yards for a touchdown. A 2-point PAT tied it at 36-all and Joseph’s 40-yard field goal in overtime completed the comeback.

“I felt strongly about the fourth-and-inches,’’ Saturday said. “I wouldn’t change any of it. I felt solid with it. I think we were 100% with it since I’ve been here.’’

Ryan had converted three third- or fourth-and-1 sneaks in the previous four games, and Saturday believed he converted another against the Vikings.

“You saw me throw the challenge flag,’’ he said. “I felt the play wasn’t blown dead.

“Whatever, it is what it is, but you’ve got to get it. The game is over if we get fourth-and-inches. I’ll never back down from that call, I can assure you. I loved where we were.’’

The Colts faced another fourth-and-1 on their ensuing drive, but this time from their 34 in a 36-all game with 1:22 remaining.

It’s unclear if Saturday was willing to gamble on another critical call, but he never got that chance when left tackle Bernhard Riamann was penalized for a false start.

“I was pretty aggressive at that moment of going to get the win,’’ he said. “But not at fourth-and-6. But we felt like we had an opportunity there, felt like we had it dialed up pretty good again.’’

If Raimann hadn’t flinched? Saturday wasn’t exactly clear what might have occurred.

“We had something dialed up,’’ he said. “It was all in succession. So, without going too deep into it, I had a plan in place but ultimately, we couldn’t even get to it.’’

Taylor’s future

It’s worth wondering if Jonathon Taylor has seen his last action of the season. The third-year running back exited Saturday’s game on the third play after aggravating an injury to his right ankle.

He’s missed three games while dealing with a high sprain to the ankle and turf toe.

Is it prudent to shut him down over the final three games?

“I’ll let the training staff deal with that,’’ Saturday said. “We haven’t had any discussions, so I have no idea.

“We’ll do whatever is in the best interest of JT and his health, and that’s for every player. It doesn’t matter who it is or what time of year it is.’’

Listen to the Colts Blue Zone Podcast for coverage and analysis of the Indianapolis Colts.

You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.