Matt Ryan looking to rebound from performance last time against Saints

A week later against the Raiders, the Falcons produced their highest point total of the season in a 43-6 win. Just as Ryan said they needed to do, they played better and got a win. Ryan completed 22 of 39 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception.

“I feel he had a good game last week,” quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp said Thursday. “I know the numbers, the bottom-line numbers didn’t say that, but we had a couple drops, we had some good throwaway situations, so the overall completion percentage and yards per attempt went down, but he protected the ball very well. He moved us in the two-minute drill and up and down the field, especially in the second and third quarters. I felt like he really managed the game extremely well and had a good bounce-back game.”

Now, facing down another matchup with New Orleans on Sunday, Ryan is hoping to build on the momentum that started last week and get a different outcome.

“Definitely doing some different things in terms of our plan to try and do better than we did last time, that’s for sure,” Ryan said Wednesday. “That’s always the case the second time you play an opponent, you want to make some adjustments. I think it’s gonna be a collective effort.

“All of our guys on the outside need to play well (and) run good routes. I’ve gotta do a good job of having good eye discipline, making sure I’m where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there and getting the ball out of my hand and not letting those guys get home.”

The Saints boast one of the top defenses in the NFL and have allowed only one touchdown in their past four games. They lead the league in total yards allowed and explosive plays allowed and rank second in yards per play and rushing yards. When these two teams met two weeks ago, New Orleans held the Falcons 2-of-14 on third-down plays.

“They get off the field on third down,” Ryan said. “They’re very good in first- and second-down defense of kinda putting you in third-and-longs. I think when you have a defense like that, that keeps things in front of them, doesn’t give up big plays and keeps you off-schedule, it’s a recipe for success.”

For Ryan and the Falcons to find success this time around, converting on third down — or avoiding getting into third-and-long situations in the first place — will be key.

“There’s nothing wrong with making first downs on first and second down,” Ryan said. “That’s wise wisdom from older guys that kinda mentored me earlier on in my career. I really do believe that we’ve gotta be productive on first and second down this week.”

To be productive on first and second down, the Falcons need a solid game plan. Ryan said he feels they have a good plan in place, and Knapp praised both Ryan and backup quarterback Matt Schaub for their contributions to the plan.

“Their input on the game plan is well-respected,” Knapp said. “Their thought process to handle the different blitz looks (the opponent) might give us. They use each other as a sounding board and present it to (offensive coordinator) Dirk (Koetter) and myself. It’s without a doubt one of the best quarterback rooms I’ve been in. I actually call it a QB think tank, if you will, because they prepare at a very high level, consistently, week-to-week.”

Carrying the confidence of last week’s win over the Raiders also will be important, particularly as the Falcons go up against a historically challenging opponent — and one of their biggest rivals. No one in the organization wants to go 0-2 for the season against New Orleans. Ryan, who is 9-15 in his career against the Saints and had his worst game in years against them two weeks ago, is no exception.

“We’ll have a good plan,” Ryan said. “We’ve all gotta do our part, though. We’ve all gotta pull our weight. Getting the ball out, running good routes, creating separation and then playing well up front. It’s gonna be a collective effort for us to do better than we did the last time we saw these guys.”