Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is the NFC South's top ranked quarterback, according to a ranking by NFL.com reporter Adam Schein.

Schein, who ranked the top NFL quarterbacks in all eight divisions, placed Ryan atop the NFC South followed by Cam Newton, Drew Brees and Jameis Winston, respectively.

“I'm not worried about Ryan and Newton taking minor steps backward last season,” Schein wrote. “They are former MVPs. Ryan is elite and got paid for it. And last year was attributable to breaking in a new offensive coordinator. In Ryan's second season under Steve Sarkisian, I firmly expect he'll be top-tier MVP candidate directing a top-five offense.”

Schein's entire list can be read on NFL.com.

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Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Norman Arey died Oct. 11, 2025 at the age of 84. In addition to sports writing, Arey also co-wrote the popular "Peach Buzz" society column. (Courtesy of the Arey family)

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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