Here’s what Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had to say after the 34-31 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Opening statement: "You never know how they are going to shake out. We battled for four quarters and it was good. We made enough plays to get it down in an environment that's tough to win in."
On offense without Devonta Freeman: "It's tough to replace Freeman. Or to not have. But we have so much depth at our running back position. We trust our other guys to step it. It always hurts to not have him because he's so talented. I thought Tevin (Coleman) did a nice job. I thought Terron (Ward) came in and played really well for us. I though the key to the game for us was converting on third downs. We did an excellent job of that tonight."
On staying with run game: "That's one of the things going against this defense and the way that they play, with eight man spacing in the box the entire game, you have to stay disciplined with it. You have to keep running the ball and you've got to execute at a high level on every snap when you do it because if you don't you are going to have some tackles for losses. But when you do, there are opportunities to get behind their front seven and get into the secondary. I thought our guys did a good job of that in the second half."
On Levine Toilolo's touchdown catch: "For sure, that was huge. That was a great call by (offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian) in that situation. Great job by Levine with shifting back and getting into the back of the defense with some action going to the right. That was critical for us at a huge time of the game to come away with a touchdown."
On Julio Jones' 29-yard catch on third down in fourth quarter: "We got a lot of man-to-man coverage on third downs tonight. It was a really good call at the time by Sark tonight. We had a really good concept on the left and we knew we had one-on-one and an opportunity to throw it down the field to Julio. I tried to hold the safety in the middle of the field so that it was just really Julio and the cornerback on an island. Julio made a great play."
On Mohamed Sanu's one-handed touchdown catch: "I didn't see the catch. I saw it on the screen afterward. It was a great catch by Mo. I see it all the time in practice."
On Russell Wilson: "He's a tough competitor to go against. He makes some unbelievable plays. His ability to extend plays and keep plays alive, you hate going against it. It's impressive to see. I thought our defense played tough the entire night. He made some unbelievable plays. Right before the field goal, you just never know if they are going to go in or not go it. Obviously, you are hoping that it doesn't go in. That's what I was thinking at the time."
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