Quarterback Matt Ryan said everything comes down to consistency for the Falcons to win their next game, against the Vikings on Sunday.
“Probably the thing that we haven’t done a great job of for the last couple of weeks is consistently playing like we’re capable of,” Ryan said. “I think that we’ve had spurts where we’ve done it really, really well, but continuing to do that snap after snap, series after series, and really week after week is what we have to get back to. And it starts this week.”
Ryan said the team used this week in practice to build off a 24-21 loss to the Colts on Sunday and take it to the field against the Vikings this weekend.
“We can’t worry about anything else expect going against this Minnesota defense, which is really good,” Ryan said. “They’re excellent. I think their front seven is very solid. They do a great job in terms of their scheme. They don’t do a ton of different things on first and second down, but they’re very sound in what they do.
Ryan said one of the most threatening features of the Minnesota defense is the extensive pressure on pass protection. He said the offense must be “on top” of the Vikings in those scenarios.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said going against Ryan and the Falcons’ offensive arsenal will be a challenge.
“To me, they are extremely explosive,” Zimmer said. “Matt Ryan is the guy who you always concern yourself with because of his ability to change things at the line of scrimmage. He has a fantastic arm.”
Although focus has primarily been on Ryan in recent weeks through four losses in the past five games, Falcons coach Dan Quinn said fixing mistakes is on the entire offense.
“Our confidence in (Ryan) is as high as it could be, because we have such belief and trust in him,” Quinn said. “We’ll do a better job taking care of the ball, and that’s not just for (Ryan), that’s for the whole offense.”
Just as he’s proclaimed all season, Quinn reiterated that to get out of its losing streak, the team must protect the ball. He said the bottom line in why the Falcons are struggling is that the offense is not protecting the ball or pushing the ball into scoring position off of takeaways.
With four turnovers, three from interceptions, Sunday against the Colts, Quinn said the offense is working on featuring Ryan in the best way to make him successful.
“The sky’s not falling,” Quinn said. “There’s a lot of things that we’re doing really well, but when we don’t take care of the ball, they’re overshadowed.”
With all the outside noise regarding Ryan’s performance at his position, Jones said the team blocks it all out.
“We have to be a family here, and we have to be a team,” Jones said. “Everybody’s going to have their own opinions about certain people. That (happens) week to week. Matt could go out and have a great game this week.”
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said Ryan is having a good season despite throwing 10 interceptions so far.
“I think Matt’s done a lot of good things this year, and I think he’s had a pretty good year,” Shanahan said. “We got to eliminate those turnovers, and that’s not just Matt, that’s all of us, all 11 players on the field and the coaching staff also.”
Ryan said he embraces the responsibility that comes with the quarterback position, and he’s ready to start winning games.
“For me, like everyone else, I want to get back to winning games, and when you do that, that’s all that maters and that’s what we’re working hard to do every day — to find a way to get it done this week, and no one wants to do that more than I do,” Ryan said.
“I understand what goes along with playing this position in this league. When it’s good, you get a lot of the credit and when it’s not good, you catch a lot of the blame, that’s part of the deal.”
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