The best season of his life has earned him one of the highest honors in football.
Matt Ryan is the 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player.
Atlanta's star quarterback, the first Falcon to win the MVP award, received this distinction by leading the sport's best offense, putting up some of the best statistics in league history and improving as the spotlight grew brighter. Ryan was also named Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year at Saturday's NFL Honors.
Ryan's Falcons scored 540 points during the regular season – tied for the seventh-most ever with the 2000 St. Louis Rams, then dubbed The Greatest Show on Turf. In the process, he tallied 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes, both franchise records, along with a 117.1 passer rating, the fifth-best mark of all-time.
Ryan also became the only NFL QB to throw a touchdown to 13 different players in a single year and set a new league record with 9.26 yards per attempt.
One of the most impressive elements of Ryan's campaign is the way he's stepped up under pressure. In the six games prior to SBLI, he notched 1,861 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 72.8 completion percentage – good for a 133.3 rating.
The Falcons averaged 39 points and went undefeated in that span. By doing so with the MVP under center, they've moved one win away from their first Super Bowl championship.
