Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been one of the more dangerous quarterbacks in the fourth quarter during the NFL’s modern era, but all of a sudden, in his 13th season in the league, he’s sputtering down the stretch in games.
Ryan, who was given the nickname Matty Ice from his heroics at Boston College, has engineered 38 game-winning drives and 30 fourth-quarter comebacks.
On Sunday, after the Falcons closed to a 20-13 score in the fourth quarter against the Panthers, the defense managed a three-and-out.
On the ensuing drive, Ryan drove the Falcons from their 24 to Carolina’s 3 and was looking to add to his fourth-quarter comebacks. But he tossed an interception in the back of the end zone.
The Falcons earlier sputtered in fourth-quarter meltdowns against Dallas and Chicago, blowing 16- and 15-point leads.
Overall, Ryan hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in 11 quarters, since a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hayden Hurst in the first quarter against the Bears on Sept. 27.
Not since Ryan’s rookie season has he gone back-to-back games where he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass against Denver on Nov. 16, 2008 (24-20 loss) and the following week against Carolina on Nov. 23 (45-28 win).
Over 194 career games, Ryan hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in only 22 of those games, and five of them were in his rookie season. He has five more over the past two seasons (3 in 2019 and 2 this season).
Ryan had at least one touchdown in every regular-season game during the 2016 season during the team’s march to Super Bowl LI.
Ryan’s 38 game-winning drives rank eighth all-time for quarterbacks since 1960, according to profootballreference.com. Only, Peyton Manning (54), Drew Brees (51), Dan Marino (47), Tom Brady (46), Brett Favre (43), Ben Roethlisberger (43) and John Elway (40) have more.
Ryan’s 30 fourth-quarter comebacks also are eighth on the list of quarterbacks since 1960. Only Manning (43), Brady (37), Brees (36), Johnny Unitas (34), Marino (33), Roethlisberger (32) and Elway (31) have more.
Has Matty Ice left the building?
Falcons' next four games
Falcons at Vikings at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18al trial
Lions at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday Oct. 25
Falcons at Panthers at 8:20 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29
Broncos at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
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