Atlanta Falcons: 3 Reasons Matt Ryan Can Repeat as NFL MVP

2. Defense is improving, which helps everyone

One of the most overused statistics in the entire NFL is wins by a starting quarterback. While there’s some relevance to that, it doesn’t tell an entire story. For instance New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 70 percent of his passes last season for 5,208 yards and 37 touchdowns. Trevor Siemian of the Denver Broncos completed just 59.5 percent of his passes for 3,401 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Brees had a losing record of 7-9 as a starter whereas Siemian went 8-6. To simply look at a record of a starter that means Siemian had the better year which is obviously ludicrous. However, when a player has a good season like Ryan did in 2016 the record then begins to be scrutinized and at times can be a tie breaker.

So should Ryan have a year similar to someone like Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, a better record could be the deciding factor. Where Ryan has an advantage here is the vast improvements the Atlanta defense has made since the start of last season.

Head coach Dan Quinn is a defensive guru and his tutelage alone makes them a formidable unit. On top of that the Falcons also added a huge free agency piece in defensive tackle Dontari Poe. The draft should also add more talent for them to have at their disposal, all of which helps ensure a good season from Ryan gets him plenty of votes.