Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan has impressed enough people through nine games to have his name mentioned along with the phrase “most valuable player.”
Entering the 10th week of regular season, Ryan leads the NFL with 2,980 passing yards and with 23 touchdowns.
Although flattered by the MVP talk and being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 344 passing yards, four touchdowns and season-high passer rating of 144.7 against the Buccaneers on Thursday, Ryan’s focused on the Falcons (6-3, 4-1) and their game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“There’s ups and downs as you go through your career — it’s obviously very nice to receive accolades and awards,” Ryan said. “The good part is when you do that, that means you’re playing well and your team’s playing well and at the end of the day, that’s what’s important. So, nine games into it, I’m happy with where we’re at. I think we can still improve a lot and can get a lot better, but we’ve done some good things so far.”
Ryan was named the midseason MVP by FiveThirtyEight Sports and realistically has a shot at the NFL’s 2016 award.
Pro Football Reference projects Ryan will finish his 2016 season with 5,298 passing yards, a 69.6, 41 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. The past three MVPs, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton, averaged 4,565 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions in their winning seasons.
Ryan’s most clear competition entering Week 10 of the regular season comes from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who missed the first four games of the season because of suspension, but still leads the league in completion percentage (73.1), yards per attempt (9.84) and passer rating (133.9). In completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating, Ryan ranks third (69.6), second (9.52) and second (119) respectively in the league, behind Brady.
Even Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz praised what an impressive season Ryan is having.
“I’ve been a fan of his game for a while,” Wentz said. “You know, coming up, I always thought he was such a calm leader, and he did things the right way. He made plays and made throws, and I’ve just always admired him. He’s just a very well-rounded quarterback.
“Obviously, this year he’s had a heck of a season so far. It’s pretty impressive, and I have a lot of respect for his game, and I’m looking forward to going up against him.”
Coming off an 8-8 season where he finished with his lowest passer rating (89), second most interceptions (16) and most fumbles of his career (8), Ryan’s thirst for improvement hasn’t been quenched by his years of experience. As he’s grown in his time as quarterback at Boston College and in nine seasons with the Falcons, Ryan has improved this season because he narrowed his focus on areas of improvement and set specific goals for improvement.
“I think (Matt’s success is) due to the deliberate practice that Matt applies himself to,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Whether it’s a certain route he wants to throw or the timing with the receiver, it’s the extra work that goes in that kind of goes unseen, but I think for sure, reps in a system totally helps. He’s put the work in with the extra reps to make sure he’s really playing at a high level.”
Ryan, who grew up in Exton, Pa., heads back to Philadelphia on Sunday to play the former team of Donovan McNabb, one of Ryan’s favorite players as he grew up.
“I’ll have some family and friends up there, but once we start playing it’s like any other week,” Ryan said. “I don’t think anybody growing up in that area is a fan of anything other than Philadelphia sports, so they’ve got some pretty passionate fans up there. Grew up rooting for the Eagles and Phillies, Flyers and Sixers and all that stuff when I was young.”
