Matt Ryan

ET, FOX

Even more of a toss-up than Texans-Bengals, this game seems like it could go either way. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been hot of late, winning five of their last seven games. However, all of those wins except one (Tennessee) came against sub .500 teams. Atlanta’s been kicking the crap out of crappy teams in 2011. Ryan hasn’t looked as sharp against quality defenses, but he hasn’t been getting help from receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones in those outings. Too many drops in an inconsistent passing attack. As always, the key to their success is the production of Michael Turner. The Falcons have a very aggressive offensive line that excels at run blocking, but their pass blocking hasn’t been as dependable. Defensively they’ve struggled to produce any sort of pass rush, even with Ray Edwards. John Abraham needs to have a big day.

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Atlanta is always a tough out at the Georgia Dome behind Matt Ryan, who just tossed four touchdowns in their comeback win over the Panthers.

 

(4-9) Jacksonville Jaguars at
(8-5) Atlanta Falcons

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Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher made Matt Ryan’s life a living hell. Peppers racked up two sacks (plus an uncounted third on a failed two-point try) and a forced fumble off of Ryan. Mr. Urlacher picked off Ryan once and recovered the Peppers force for a touchdown. Henry Melton stepped up with two sacks on Ryan and Amobi Okoye contributed one of his own, adding up to five of the six put-downs of the Falcons QB. Charles Tillman had a great game after a couple rough plays early on, deflecting key passes and pulling out the ball-punch to cause Chicago’s first fumble. They were gashed at times on the ground, but the score got too out of hand too early for Atlanta to stick with Michael Turner.  Lovie Smith’s defense made Mike Smith’s offense one-dimensional, playing into the strengths of the cover-two.

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Their offensive line is big and nasty, built to propel the running game forward. Matt Ryan is quick with his throws out of the pocket, extraordinarily accurate and eager to spread the ball around. It'll be an issue to get pressure on him, even with Julius Peppers. As has been the case the past few years, Roddy White is liable for a big game, as he loves to find the open spots in the cover-two and wait for Ryan to find him. What could give the Bears’ small corners trouble is rookie Julio Jones. At 6’3” with deceptive speed, Jones’ size is an asset. He should get plenty of slants and easy throws early to get him some confidence as they eventually work him down the field. Against the run, the Bears shouldn’t be in too much trouble. Michael Turner is good, sure, but he’s more of a downhill runner and won’t make too many shifts. If the Bears are sure tacklers today, they can contain Turner.

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Will Matt Ryan and the Falcons recover from their loss to Green Bay in the playoffs? Can Drew Brees get New Orleans back to the Super Bowl? In Tampa Bay, Josh Freeman is an up-and-coming star at quarterback, but is his supporting cast good enough? After beating out Jimmy Clausen for the starting job, is Cam Newton ready for the NFL spotlight? Your answers start here! Atlanta Falcons

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seed in the NFC was lost on Saturday as the Packers tore them apart and blew them out in primetime. Matt Ryan threw two costly interceptions, they fumbled twice, they only ran for 45 yards and their defense only managed two sacks on Aaron Rodgers on the night. The Packers came in hot and smothered the Falcons on both sides of the ball. Even after a fumble by Greg Jennings on Green Bay’s first drive led to a Falcons score, the Packers responded with a long drive of their own and put up 7. Then the Falcons returned a kickoff for a touchdown, which was promptly answered by a John Kuhn run. That was the start of a 35-point spree from the Packers, who never took their foot off the gas.

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on’t overlook the drama that will come tonight when Aaron Rodgers heads to Atlanta to take on Matt Ryan. Two of the best young quarterbacks in the league lead dynamic offenses, but it will be the defenses that decide this one. Green Bay has been one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL all season long. Linebacker Clay Matthews will be moved all over the field Saturday night in an effort to get more pressure on Ryan. As good as the Packer defense is, they’re geared to stop the pass, especially when they throw out their 5-DB sets. Michal Turner could give them fits if he gets going early. Rodgers is going to need similar help from James Starks if they’re going to keep Ryan and Turner on the sidelines and off the scoreboard. If I were the Pack, I’d set Tramon Williams on Roddy White and let Charles Woodson do anything and everything.

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teelers, Jets), the Falcons are 4-0 at home this season, setting up a Thursday of epic proportions. Matt Ryan excels in front of his home crowd, but his best weapon Roddy White won't be 100% after dealing with a knee injury and Ed Reed is healthy and patrolling the secondary for the Ravens. Against the Falcons' decent defensive backfield, Joe Flacco should have some open targets. I'm leaning towards Baltimore but I won't be surprised by anything... unless there's a blow-out.

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Drew Brees uncharacteristically tossed two picks in the loss. Matt Ryan wasn't spectacular, but he avoided the big mistakes.

Associated Press

(2-1) Tennessee Titans 29
(1-2) New York Giants 10

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win.

 

Atlanta Falcons

Last season the Falcons under coach Mike Smith and second year QB Matt Ryan (who was injured a few games) completed their second straight winning season for the first time in franchise history. This season expectations are riding high from within the organization as well as from the rest of the NFL. Michael Jenkins is dependable at the wide-out spot and Roddy White is an emerging star in the league. Add in another year of Tony Gonzalez and the dual-threat of Jerious Norwood and Michael Turner at running back and this offense should pick up right where it left off last year.

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Atlanta's Matt Ryan is in a similar boat, with more interceptions through nine games this season that he had all of his rookie year. Whoever loses will almost certainly miss the postseason.

(9-0) Indianapolis Colts at (5-4) Baltimore Ravens

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night’s Superdome thriller could have been a preview of an NFC divisional round playoff game. Matt Ryan uncharacteristically tossed three interceptions, which will likely never happen again. Michael Turner rushed for over 100 yards (151) in a loss, which has never happened before. Drew Brees hit eight different receivers for his 25 completions, utilizing the arsenal at his disposal. Reggie Bush had only five touches, making him an afterthought and a decoy in this Saints win. Sean Payton didn’t even need Bush to be successful. How impressive is that?

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ight Football will be rocking at the Superdome! The offensive juggernaut that is the Saints welcome Matt Ryan and the Falcons for an important NFC South division showdown. If Atlanta is going to make a push in this race, now is the time. They can’t afford to fall another game behind the streaking Saints. If Sean Payton’s team can make it to 7-0, they have to be the clear favorites to win the NFC. With a remaining schedule that includes Tampa twice, Carolina twice, Washington and St. Louis, they have a great shot at 12-14 wins. Look out everyone else. 

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ess, but Falcons’ defense is stout on the ground, as evidenced by their game against Chicago. Matt Ryan should have a big day against a Dallas defense that has had trouble rushing the passer.  

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at itself. 

Chicago’s inability to react to Atlanta’s no-huddle offense allowed Matt Ryan to lead his team to end zone scores with minimal opposition. It simply shows another reason why Lovie Smith’s defense isn’t working as well as in the past. Tony Gonzalez was too wide open on his endzone grab because defenders were too preoccupied with keeping their zone that no one followed Gonzalez across the goal line. When a Hall of Fame tight end is that alone in the endzone, something is wrong.   

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eded bye week, the Chicago Bears are back in action tonight, heading to the Georgia Dome to take on Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Coming off a 45-10 beatdown of the San Francisco 49ers, the Falcons could not be flying higher. After a heart-breaking loss in Atlanta last season, the Bears are ready for some payback. 

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Josh McDaniels kicked Bill Belichick’s Patriots right out of Denver while Matt Ryan picked apart a supposedly stout San Francisco defense. Oh, and Peyton Manning is still awesome. I wrap up week five in the NFL in the Final Drive! 

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Their running game has failed to produce at last season’s high level and Matt Ryan has not been getting the ball downfield. The Niners, on the other hand, just blanked St. Louis 35-0 in week four. Mike Singletary’s team is persevering despite a low-powered passing attack. Throwing safe passes, running the ball and not being afraid to punt have been the key to success in San Fran.

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if they’re going to stay undefeated.

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) at New England Patriots (1-1)

Matt Ryan has a chance to prove he’s an elite quarterback this Sunday, and there’s no better way to do it than to out-duel Tom Brady. The Patriots are struggling on defense, but Wes Welker’s return to action should do wonders for Brady and their underneath passing attack.

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lanta Falcons       28
(0-2) Carolina Panthers   20

That Matt Ryan kid’s pretty good. Atlanta’s acquisition of Tony Gonzalez could be the most underrated move of the offseason. For Carolina, Jake Delhomme only tossed one interception. I’d call that an improvement.

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nbsp; Romo didn’t come out of college with the pedigree of an Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, or Matt Ryan, to name a few.  He needed a few seasons of grooming just to resemble an NFL QB.  Everyone needs to be patient with him.  Even Peyton Manning took several years before he had post-season success.  And Romo doesn’t even have an ounce of the same pedigree that the Manning’s have!  As for the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl if Crayton didn’t drop that sure TD pass…we will never know?  But, I think that the Cowboys have something with Romo…let’s wait a few years before we label him a bust.  From where he came from…he’s already out-performed anyone’s expectations!    

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yards to 65?) 

You play for the Tennessee Titans, who last year made the playoffs. 

Matt Ryan is a quarterback.  That position has, without question, the most difficult transition from college to the pros.  It usually takes three or four years for a QB to blossom.   

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Also, Atlanta does not turn the ball over. Matt Ryan has only thrown 11 interceptions all year. Two years ago people were going nuts because Peyton Manning threw only 10 picks. Granted Manning threw 49 TD’s to Ryan’s 16, but when you have the horses Atlanta does, let them run.

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2 seed, with a 1st round bye.  That’s absolutely incredible!  Rookie QB Matt Ryan has played well all season, and he looks like a franchise QB for many years to come.  Atlanta wins big here with much at stake!  Atlanta 27, St. Louis 13.  

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They were ripped apart by rookie Matt Ryan time after time, as he was six for six on third down conversions of nine yards or longer. The Falcons were nine of sixteen on third down, embarrassing the best third-down defense going into Sunday’s schedule. The passing game was the only aspect of the Falcons’ offense that worked on Sunday, as the Bears completely shut down the most productive running back in the league in Michael Turner. Turner only garnered 54 yards on 23 carries, while back-up Jerious Norwood picked up 31 yards on only three carries. Atlanta never got anything going on the ground, but continued to handoff on first downs which often ended in a short gain or a loss, putting them in a difficult second and long for most of the day. The Bears defense never figured out how to stop receiver Roddy White, despite putting Atlanta in obvious passing situations where White would be the natural first option for Ryan. This has been the largest issue during the Lovie Smith regime. Too often does the opponent’s number one passing option have a huge day against the Bears’ rarely adjusting cover two defense. It shows stubbornness on the part of the coaches to refuse to adjust to what the opposing offense is doing, no matter how unsuccessful they are in defending it.

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Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan is making enough plays to win, finding receiver Roddy White with great effect. Atlanta hungers for respect throughout the league and plays fast and aggressive on offense as well as defense. It will certainly be a test for a Bears team who has openly stated their intent to remain in the driver’s seat of the NFC North. That’s a bold claim for a team known for collapsing in the second half.

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“With the 3rd pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Boston College.” The stain of Michael Vick has finally been dissolved. With the drafting of

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y threw a record 50 Touchdown passes during the regular season and lead his team to an 18-1 record. Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons’ first round pick, has not played a single down in the NFL.

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s to be made is what to do with that first pick.  Miami can go with Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who many have as this years’ top prospect.  If Parcells keeps the pick, and selects Ryan, that would mean clipboard duty for last season’s 2nd round pick John Beck.   

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