Here’s what Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had to say after the 27-7 win over Dallas on Sunday:
On whether today was his best performance of the season offensively:
"I thought we did some nice things offensively today. Whether it's the best or not, it doesn't matter. It was good enough to get the job done. I felt like we weathered the storm early. Their defense was being aggressive and doing a great job, as well as their front seven early in that game. They weathered the turnover. I think it might have been in the first drive of the game that we were able to rebound from all that stuff and get into a nice rhythm. I thought the touchdown before the half was critical. Coming out in the second half and putting together three scoring drives before we got into a four-minute situation was huge for us."
On his first offensive touchdown in the third quarter this season:
"You've been keeping track of those. I didn't know that, but it was huge. Getting the ball to start the second half is something we talk about all the time. One of the things that we want to do when we defer is score at the end of the half, then put on another seven points coming out of the half. That's tough for a defense and for a team to go against. I thought we did a really nice job in the execution when we converted a couple third downs, which got us going. Then we were able to punch it in there at the end with a touchdown pass to Justin Hardy."
On becoming the fastest quarterback to throw for 40,000 yards:
"I've been fortunate to play with a number of great players throughout my nine and a half or 10 years here. I have been fortunate to be on some really good teams and to be able to stay healthy. I'm proud of that. I hope that there's another 40,000 in there and I can keep playing for a long time."
On whether the team executed better during this game:
"I thought we executed better than we have all year. When we had our opportunities to make plays, guys stepped up across the board and executed the way that we needed to. I felt like we have been close throughout the year. I've been saying that, but we haven't been making the plays when they've presented themselves. I thought today we did. We showcased what we're capable of doing, if we go out there and execute at the level we're capable of."
On whether this was a pivotal game for the rest of the season:
"Obviously we understand where we're at halfway through the season, 4-4, and we probably deserve that. We were kind of inconsistent. Starting the second half of the season, we weren't looking past today. It was a good step in the right direction for us if we're going to become the kind of football team that we want to be moving forward. We need to play our best week in and week out, and I thought we played well today. We can play better for sure, but it was a step in the right direction."
On Adrian Clayborn's performance:
"Adrian Clayborn provided a lot of momentum. It was pretty unbelievable to watch Clayborn on the other side of the ball. Early on, you could tell he was going to have a good day. He was getting off of the ball really well and it didn't look like they could stop his pass rush. I'm so proud and happy for him. He's absolutely the best teammate you could ask for. He works extremely hard day in and day out. He doesn't say a lot, but he's a leader on our football team. Guys see the way that he handles his business day in and day out. I'm really happy for him. He energized the entire organization today. He really helped us out."
On the running game opening up the passing game:
"Absolutely. We believe that our entire offense is complementary. Whether it be running to set up the pass or throwing to set up the run game for us, we're going to be consistent. We're going to stay balanced. I thought Steve Sarkisian did an excellent job today of staying with it when we needed to and got the run game going in the second half. We were able to use the passing game a little bit, wear those guys out, and convert some third downs to keep us moving. When we did that, it really opened up the run game."
On whether the problems during the first half of the season are over:
"I don't know. I haven't worried too much about it. To me as a player, it came down to not making enough plays. It's really that simple. Today we made enough plays to get it done, and in order for us to be successful moving forward as players, we've got to make enough plays every week. That's got to be our mindset. Whatever it takes and whatever we've got to do to move forward is what we're going to do."
On the offensive line struggling:
"We knew that coming into the game. I don't know what they were ranked in the league in terms of sacks, but we knew coming into it that they were going to be a really good pass rush to go up against. I thought our guys did a great job. They weathered the storm. It was tough sledding early in that game, but our guys stepped up. They didn't blink and they kept battling. In the second half, I really think they wore that defense down, and that was huge. The reason we were successful today is because those guys battled and played well up front."
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