As Matt Ryan and the Falcons get ready to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta's quarterback talked about his expectations for the upcoming matchup.
The Bucs (3-7) are a completely different team than the one the Falcons (3-7) last saw in 2018. Not only is the coaching staff new, the personnel has changed significantly on the defensive side of the ball.
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Todd Bowles has taken the reigns of Tampa's defense and Ryan knows that means he can expect to see pressure.
"He'll pressure, he's very aggressive and has been that way pretty much everywhere that I've faced him," Ryan said of Bowles' scheme. "He stresses your pass protections he stresses your personnel. You have to be on top of it, you have to be identify and communicate because they put people in different places, so that's going to be a big part of the game for us making sure we get those things right."
The Bucs have recorded 22 sacks on the year with 11.5 of them coming from Shaquil Barrett. Ryan said the Falcons will certainly have to account for Barrett and the rest of Tampa's defensive line.
"Certainly a guy that can rush, we have to account for where he's at," Ryan said. "We have to do a great job up front though because there's talent across the board on their defensive line."
Ryan continuing to make history
Following his 331-yard performance in the win over the Panthers, Ryan moved into the top 10 for all-time passing yards. Although Ryan appreciates the outreach from fellow players around the league on his recent achievement, he remains solely focused on winning games.
"[It's] definitely nice to hear from a lot of different people and certainly nice to be in that category," Ryan said. "But at the end of the day, it's about winning games and that's ultimately what's most important. Hopefully we can get another win this week, it's fun to celebrate them when you get them."
Falcons believe they have advantage in passing game
The Falcons' passing attack was nearly unstoppable last Sunday in Charlotte. Receivers Calvin Ridley (eight catches, 143 yards, 1 touchdown) and Julio Jones (six catches for 91 yards) both enjoyed big performances in the NFC South showdown.
Ryan expects this to be the case every week if the Falcons protect well up front.
"To me every week in the passing game it comes down to taking care of protection," Ryan said. "Making sure we're solid up front. This is no disrespect to any team, but we feel like on the outside it's an advantage with the guys we have every week and we feel the same this week."
