Matt Ryan: ‘We have to find a way to get in the end zone’

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan reflects on the team's red zone issues in the loss to the 49ers.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Here’s was Falcons QB Matt Ryan had to say after the 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday:

What was the crux of the red zone issue today?

“Yeah, we have to find a way to get in the end zone. We knew coming into it that was going to be important for us. We will have to take a look at it and see exactly what the issues are. We had our chances. We moved the ball, we put ourselves in great position a handful of times. Special teams with the opening kickoff put us in a really good position. When you’re playing a good football team in an important game, you have to find ways to score and you have to take advantage of those opportunities. That’s something we have to be better at moving forward. We’ll take a look at the film tomorrow and try and make those corrections as we move forward.”

According to the analytics, your playoff chances are down. How do you move forward into the next game?

“Still a chance. So you’re saying there’s a chance, isn’t that the old movie line or whatever? Listen, I’ve seen crazy things happen in this league, so we’ve got to hold up our end of the bargain and that starts next week. When we get back to Atlanta, we’ve got to find a way to have a really good week of practice get ourselves in position to play well next Sunday and keep that narrow focus and see what happens.”

You had seven plays today where you needed only one yard for a touchdown or first down and didn’t convert. What does that say to you?

“Got to be better. One of seven is not good enough. In those short-yardage situations where you just need a yard, we’ve got to find a way to really convert those at a high level. Good football teams do that and we weren’t good enough at that today. It has to be an area of concern for us and something that we work on this week. I wish I had a better answer for you, but we have to be better.”

Why is it that the best version of the Falcons hasn’t shown up consistently in those games against the best opponents?

“I don’t know. I keep going back to the fact that we have to be opportunistic. We have to take advantage of, of the really good opportunities that we have. When you’re playing good football teams, they take advantage of those and we haven’t done that. It’s got to be a point of emphasis for us as we get back into practice. When we get turnovers, when we get short field opportunities, there’s got to be blood in the water. You have to go attack and you got to find a way to get the job done and get in.”

Was Atlanta Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson in on that play?

“I’ll always say yes but I didn’t see. I only saw a little bit from outside there. It looked tough to tell.”

n that first possession, you said that a team should be able to run the ball four times and get half a yard. Why was that harder on this team?

“I’m not sure. We have to look at where we didn’t operate as well as we needed to. I don’t know that, my back is turned on a lot of those things to know what happened. We will take a look at it and we will try to rep it and improve there. You have to harp on the smallest of details in those type of situations, the combination blocks, the physicality, or even in the passing game, just the level of precision has to be higher down there. That’s something we need to work on.”

I guess my question was, why throw it twice in that possession rather than just try and run it in?

“I suppose when you pound it and it doesn’t get in it makes you reconsider what you’re doing. As a player I never overthink those things. Our responsibility is to make those plays come to life and make them work. I think we can, whether it is run or pass, collectively be better. There’s no rule book on what you have to do in those situations. Whatever is called, we need to find a way to get it done.”

On that early timeout, what was going on there? Looked like you were telling someone to go in motion.

“Yeah, those happen once in a while. It is just part of it. You have a motion on, I was a little down on the clock, that is just part of the game from time to time.”

Going back to the conversation in the red zone, Atlanta Falcons WR Russell Gage was talking, and he was using the word “settling” and “settling” in the endzone. How do you talk to these guys about being settled in the moment?

“I think the level of precision goes up. The space is smaller and so the windows become smaller. It’s always important, timing, spacing, those things are always important, but it’s magnified down there because you don’t have that vertical threat. You don’t have the backup threat. You have the sidelines and the end line that kind of make it cramped. There is a level of timing and spacing that has to be there and I think at times we’ve been good at that through the year. At times we need to be better. Again, I think we need to rep it, we need to practice it, we need to get to work. That is the only way I know to improve. We certainly need improvement.”

Are you comfortable with all the new COVID protocols as your team tries to finish out the season?

“I am. I feel like I’ve done everything I can to protect myself. I have my booster, I feel comfortable. I feel good about myself and what I’ve done to try and protect myself as best I can.”

Were you in favor in the league change to not test vaccinated folks anymore?

“I don’t get involved in those things and I never have when it comes to those decision-making things. I generally leave that to the people who are more involved who understand that stuff better than I. I just try to follow the rules and make sure I do everything I can to protect myself.”

The Bow Tie Chronicles

About the Author

Editors' Picks