INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts are benching starting quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger for Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders.

Coach Frank Reich made the announcement Monday after Ryan threw two more interceptions in Sunday’s 19-10 loss at Tennessee. Reich said Ryan suffered a separated throwing shoulder in the game, but that the decision to make a change was not injury related.

Ryan leads the NFL with nine interceptions and has fumbled 11 times this season. The 37-year-old Ryan has been sacked 24 times, taken 59 hits and ranks second in pass attempts with 297, largely because the Colts (3-3-1) have been unable to get their ground game churning.

Ehlinger was a sixth-round pick in 2021, but has taken a rapid ascent to his first NFL start. He started his rookie season on injured reserve, but joined the active roster in October. A strong preseason in 2022 put him in the conversation to supplant Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles as No. 2 on the depth chart, a move Reich made before Indy’s Week 6 game.

Ehlinger has appeared in three NFL games, but has never thrown a pass.

GIANTS: Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger is going to be sidelined indefinitely after fracturing an eye socket and septum against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Giants said the fourth-round draft pick was seen by an ophthalmologist and he probably will need to have surgery.

Coach Brian Daboll did not know how long Bellinger will be sidelined, but he said there is a chance he can play again this season.

Bellinger was hurt in the second quarter of the Giants’ 23-17 win over the Jags. He was inadvertently poked in the eye through his facemask by cornerback Tre Herndon after making a catch.

A bloodied Bellinger was carted off the field. He was examined at a hospital and was able to accompany the team back to New Jersey.

Bellinger had 16 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a TD.

JETS: Rookie running back Breece Hall and versatile offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker will both miss the rest of the season with injuries.

Coach Robert Saleh confirmed Hall has a torn ACL in his left knee, which is what the team initially feared. An MRI revealed the severity of the injury, which happened in the second quarter of the Jets’ 16-9 victory at Denver on Sunday.

Vera-Tucker, who has started at left guard, left tackle, right guard and right tackle during his two seasons, has a torn triceps that will require surgery. He was also hurt in the second quarter with what was announced as an elbow injury.

Losing the two is a tough blow for the Jets, who have won four in a row – while mostly relying on the running game to power the offense during that streak. And Hall and Vera-Tucker were major parts of that.

•  The New York Jets moved quickly to replace rookie running back Hall.

The Jets traded a conditional late-round draft pick to Jacksonville for James Robinson, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been formally finalized.

Robinson, a third-year pro who lost his starting job to former Clemson star Travis Etienne two weeks ago, still needs to pass a physical.

Jaguars Coach Doug Pederson said the running back has been dealing with “lower-body issues, mostly in his knees right now.”

Robinson, however, was not listed on the team’s injury report last week and did not appear to be hurt in limited work Sunday. He played just 12 snaps and didn’t record a carry in a 23-17 loss to the New York Giants.

SEAHAWKS: Wide receiver DK Metcalf suffered an injury to the patellar tendon in his left knee but does not need surgery at this time, according to Coach Pete Carroll.

“I know he’s really anxious to try to make his way back and in his mind he wants to try to practice Wednesday,” Carroll said. “I don’t know if that’s even possible. But he’s still pretty sore today.”

Carroll first revealed the news about Metcalf during his weekly radio show on KIRO-AM, calling it a “great report,” after the star wide receiver underwent an MRI. He said there is no expected timeline on when Metcalf would return.

Later in the day, Carroll said since surgery isn’t needed the recovery will be based on how quickly Metcalf can respond to the treatment he’s receiving.

“Give us a couple of days to let it cool down and see what’s going on,” Carroll said.

Metcalf appeared to be hurt leaping for a catch in the end zone late in the first quarter and was immediately ruled out by the team. X-rays in Los Angeles on Sunday were negative and Metcalf underwent additional scans back in Seattle on Monday morning.

Metcalf had one catch for 12 yards against the Chargers before getting injured. For the season, Metcalf has 31 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns through seven games.

BUCCANEERS: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are running out of explanations for the team’s disappointing start.

Players and coaches continue to harp on the need to execute better on offense and defense, emphasizing breakdowns have been widespread and there’s no single reason or segment of the team that’s undermining its chances for success.

“It’s all inclusive,” Coach Todd Bowles said.

“We’ve got to get solutions, and we’ve got to get them fast,” Bowles added. “There’s nobody coming in here to help us and save the day. We’ve built this, and we own it, and we have to get us out of it.”

Sunday’s 21-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, a struggling team starting its third-string quarterback that has already fired its coach and traded two of its best players, dropped Tampa Bay to 3-4.

That’s Brady’s worst start this deep into a season since 2002, the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s first year as a full-time starter.

REFEREES: The NFL said it is looking into what transpired between two game officials and Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans in the tunnel of Bank of America Stadium after the Buccaneers’ 21-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

A reporter captured a video of side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter approaching Evans as he is making his way toward the locker room.

There is a short inaudible exchange between the game officials and Evans, before the player turns around and is handed a slip of paper. A second video posted by a reporter from 1340 AM Fox Sports appears to show Evans writing something as Lamberth stood next to him while Tampa Bay players walked past them to the locker room.

According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association game officials are not allowed to “ask players, coaches or any other team personnel for autographs or memorabilia.”

In addition, game officials are not allowed “to sell or trade NFL tickets for anything of greater value than the face value of the tickets” or “sell or trade for anything of value NFL merchandise, autographs or memorabilia.”

The CBA goes on to stipulate that they recognize game officials may need to obtain player autographs or team merchandise or memorabilia for personal or charitable purposes, but said that such requests should be made through the officiating department and never to a player or team employee directly.

Lamberth is in his 20th season as an NFL official, Sutter in his fourth.

It’s unclear what, if any, potential punishments the game officials could face if they received an autograph from Evans.

DOLPHINS: Safety Brandon Jones will be placed on injured reserve with a knee injury he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Coach Mike McDaniel said.

McDaniel didn’t say if Jones’ injury will keep him out for the rest of the season. He will miss at least four games.

The team is seeking more medical opinions, and McDaniel expects to know more by Wednesday.

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