In Sunday's victory against the New Orleans Saints, QB Matt Ryan set a franchise record in both passing touchdowns (156) and for most passing yards in a game (448). Take a look at other big moments in Ryan's career so far.
QB Matt Ryan's first game of his career came against the Detroit Lions in 2008 after he was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan's first pass of his career was also his first touchdown, as he hit WR Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard touchdown. Ryan logged 161 yards in the game and ended with a passer rating of 137. The Falcons went 11-5 during Ryan's first season leading the team.
Before Sunday's game, Ryan previously held the second spot in franchise history for most grossed pass yards during a game. In last season's loss against the New England Patriots, Ryan passed for 421 yards going 34-for-51 in pass attempts. After this week, Ryan now holds the top spot logging 448 yards.
Ryan's highest completion percentage during a game was .857 during a game in 2010 against the Green Bay Packers. Ryan passed for 197 yards and led the team to a 20-17 victory.
During a game against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2013 season, Ryan broke the record for most passes completed during a single game with 37.
Before the game against the 49ers, Ryan already tied the second spot in franchise history in most passes completed in a single game with 36 after a game against the New York Jets earlier in the 2013 season.
Ryan earned his 50th career win in a game against the Eagles in the 2012 season. The Falcons defeated the Eagles 30-17 with Ryan throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns.
Ryan's first playoff win of his career came in 2012 during an NFC Division playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Ryan threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns during the 30-28 win.
The 100th touchdown of Ryan's career came in 2012 during a game against the Denver Broncos. The Falcons came out victorious with a 21-17 score.
Ryan had his first Pro Bowl selection after the 2010 season in which he threw for 3,705 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Falcons finished the 2010 season 13-3 and made it to the playoffs.
The 2014 season-opener against the Saints was definitely a memorable victory. Ryan broke the franchise record for passing touchdowns (156) with touchdown passes to WR Roddy White, TE Levine Toilolo and RB Antone Smith. Ryan also logged 448 yards passing breaking the franchise record for most passing yards in a single game and also extended his franchise record for overall passing yards with 23,920 total.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and placekicker Matt Bryant has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for their performances in Atlanta's 37-34 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
Ryan had a career day against New Orleans, becoming the Falcons all-time leader in touchdown passes (156) while also setting the franchise record for total passing yards in a single game with 448. He completed 31 of 43 passes (72.1 percent) for 448 yards with three touchdowns and a 128.8 passer rating. Ryan has led the Falcons to a 35-2 record when he posts a passer rating of 100-or-higher and a 19-1 mark when throwing three-or-more touchdowns. His 448 passing yards were the second most by any quarterback on kickoff weekend without throwing an interception in NFL history.
This is the fifth time in his career that Ryan has earned player of the week honors, which is the most of any player in team history. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 9 of the 2008 season, Week 14 of the 2011 season, Week 16 of the 2012 season, and Week 7 of the 2013 season.
Bryant connected on a 51-yard field goal to tie the game at 34 as time expired in the fourth quarter. He then split the uprights with a 52-yard game winner in overtime. Bryant's overtime boot was the 19th game winner of his career and his eighth as a Falcon. It was also his second-longest game-winning kick since joining the Falcons.
With his 52-yard game winner in overtime, Bryant became just the fourth player in NFL history to kick a 50 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation to force overtime in addition to converting a 50 game-winning field goal in overtime. He has earned special teams player of the week honors seven times in his career and is the only player to win special teams player of the week multiple times with three different teams (NY Giants, Tampa Bay & Atlanta).
