Matt Ryan was nothing short of awesome in the Falcons' dramatic 27-25 victory over the New Orleans Saints. We all know about his 64-yard dime to Cordarrelle Patterson that set up the game-winning field goal, but the veteran quarterback was near flawless over all four quarters.
His stat line proves that point. Ryan was 23-for-30 passing (76.6 completion percentage) for 343 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. Get this: he averages 11.43 yards per pass attempt and had a 135.8 passer rating. Those numbers are, you know, pretty good. He also ran five times for eight yards, though there were some huge rushers in there, including a touchdown run.
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With that performance and those stats in mind, it shouldn't be shocking to hear an award came with it. Ryan was named the NFC offensive player of the week, the league announced on Wednesday morning.
Ryan also orchestrated his 41st career game-winning drive, which moves him above John Elway on the all-time list. It's also Ryan's third comeback of the year, accounting for most of the Falcons four wins.
It's not his first such honor. It's Ryan's 10th, the most in franchise history. He's also one of five quarterbacks to win double-digits player of the week awards, including Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson.
He's also not the first Falcon to win a weekly award. Deion Jones also won an NFC defensive player of the week award after a victory over Miami.
Falcons Final Whistle | A Postgame Podcast
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Welcome to Falcons Final Whistle – an Atlanta Falcons football postgame podcast during the season that shifts gears in the offseason to answer a pressing question about the team's future each week through free agency, the NFL Draft and the offseason program.
