Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is coming off his fourth-lowest pass-efficiency rating (53.6) in four seasons and has thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions.

He had a 49.3 rating Dec. 28, 2008, in a season-finale 31-27 win over St. Louis, a 46.6 against New Orleans in a 35-27 loss Nov. 2, 2009, and 29.3 in the second game of his career, a 24-9 loss to Tampa Bay.

The Falcons are 16-0 when he has a passer rating of 100 or more.

Here’s a brief Q&A involving Ryan and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.

Q. How would you evaluate your play this season?

A: When you evaluate play, you evaluate wins and losses as a quarterback. It certainly hasn’t been good enough up to this point. So it’s something that I think I need to play better.

Q: How can you get back to running more and balance out the offense?

A: We put ourselves in tough positions. We haven’t been able to remain balanced because we’ve made mistakes that have backed us up into a corner. I think it comes down, point blank, to that we need to play more consistent. If we do that both in the run game and the pass game, I think that will kind of add to a little bit of balance.

Q: How’s cornerback Chris Gamble and the Carolina defense playing?

A: Gamble has been playing a little bit. We obviously know, when he’s healthy, he’s a good player. What you see from him is a great effort. Their two defense ends [Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy] are playing at a high level.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) gets tacke by Miami Dolphins linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (40) during the second half of an NFL football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday, October 26, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez