QB corner: Matt Ryan discusses the Texans
Matt Ryan, who has guided the Falcons to victory in five of their past six games, is one of the hotter quarterbacks in the NFL.
Over the past four games, he has passed for 1,204 yards, thrown nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. He had his highest passer rating (128.2) of the season Sunday against Minnesota.
However, he’ll face the Houston Texans, who have the NFL’s No. 1-rated defense, Sunday.
Here’s a brief Q&A involving Ryan and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.
Q: What does it feel like to be on such a roll?
A: I don't worry too much about that kind of stuff. I think, offensively, we still have a lot of areas to improve, and that's our focus. ... We've been a little more consistent the last two or three weeks.
Q: How active is Texans linebacker Brian Cushing in both their run and pass defense?
A: He's very active. Very good player. Somebody we're going to have to be aware of where he's at in both the run game and the pass game. He looks like, on tape, he's an emotional leader for that defense. He does a great job of rallying those guys. I've been very impressed with him.
Q: What do you see from their safeties Danieal Manning and Glover Quin?
A: [Their] safeties are strong. Manning, we've seen a little bit in his days with Chicago, so we are familiar with him. ... Their safeties do a great job coming up and supporting the run, but also [they are strong] in coverage. They're both talented guys that can cover in man coverage. They make it difficult on an offense because they can do so many different things.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
