Atlanta Falcons: Grading the offense at Falcons bye week

Oct 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) makes a throw in the second quarter of their game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Weeks 1-4: B-
Weeks 5-9: C-
Overall: C

We haven’t seen the Matt Ryan we’re used to seeing this season. He’s not been playing badly, just not at the high level we expect from him. Let’s start with the positives: Ryan still deserves the nickname Matty Ice, after a number of excellent fourth quarter victories early in the season.

But for some reason, in recent weeks particularly, he’s been out of sorts. And when Ryan is off, the entire offense is off. Is it a scheme problem? Is it due to a lack of a legitimate pass-catching threat outside of Julio Jones? That much is unclear, but it’s a problem the Falcons need to figure out and remedy.

This team’s success starts and ends with the play of No. 2. We’ve seen glimpses of how dangerous the Falcons offense can be, and we need to see more of it. It starts with Ryan.

Outlook: Whatever is wrong must be fixed by the time the Colts visit the Georgia Dome. I have no doubt in my mind Atlanta will figure it out and will snap out of the funk on offense. There is too much talent for it not to happen. Ryan needs to get back in sync with his receivers and get some more help from everyone outside of Julio Jones.

Next: Running backs