Matt Ryan has been durable, consistent and elite
The Falcons have been one of the top 10 winningest franchises over the last decade because of how consistent and reliable Matt Ryan has been since he was drafted in 2008.
Can’t make the club in the tub. We have all heard this expression a million times as fans of the NFL. Thankfully this expression is one that has never applied to Matt Ryan as he enters his 12th season leading the Falcons franchise.
A coworker asked the question the other day – Who would you rather have Philip Rivers or Matt Ryan? The answer is an easy one and required no thought; Matt Ryan.
Every Falcons blogger and media type has covered all of Matt Ryan’s franchise an NFL record; they are numerous. We all can agree that the one deficiency that he has is no Super Bowl ring, though we should all be able to agree that it is not his fault. Only two quarterbacks in the history of the NFL have a higher QBR and rating in the playoffs as Matt Ryan does – Bart Starr and Kurt Warner.
There is a lot of blame to go around for the lack of Lombardi’s around Flowery Branch but number 2 is not one of them.
Back to the original thought – Can’t make the club in the tub.
If you need more evidence to support Matt Ryan’s durability and consistency, I found it for you.
That is the number of starting quarterbacks has started a game for the other 31 NFL franchises since Matt Ryan missed weeks 12 and 13 back in 2009. Here is how that number breaks down per team.
NFC EAST
- New York Giants – 2
- Dallas Cowboys – 8
- Philadelphia Eagles – 7
- Washington Redskins – 9
NFC North
- Green Bay Packers – 4
- Minnesota Vikings – 12
- Detroit Lions – 5
- Chicago Bears – 11
NFC West
- Seattle Seahawks – 5
- Arizona Cardinals – 12
- LA Rams – 12
- San Francisco 49ers – 9
NFC South
- New Orleans Saints – 4
- Carolina Panthers – 8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 7
AFC East
- New England Patriots – 4
- Miami Dolphins – 8
- New York Jets – 10
- Buffalo Bills – 14
AFC North
- Cincinnati Bengals – 4
- Baltimore Ravens – 5
- Pittsburgh Steelers – 6
- Cleveland Browns – 19
AFC West
- LA Chargers – 1
- Denver Broncos – 8
- Oakland Raiders – 11
- Kansas City Chiefs – 9
AFC South
- Indianapolis Colts – 9
- Houston Texans – 13
- Jacksonville Jaguars – 8
- Tennessee Titans – 11
When we take a second to think back on the hundreds of times Matt Ryan has been sacked or hit over his NFL career because Thomas Dimitroff never thought it was important to draft offensive linemen or seek out the best on free agency, remember 255.
Think about that number when you reflect on the number of offensive coordinators Matt Ryan has had to endure over his career. Think about 255 when you realize that Matt Ryan has only ever had a top 10 defense twice in his first 11 years.
Next. Falcons and Carli Lloyd are not a match. dark
Matt Ryan gets a lot of nonsense from the NFL media as well as his fan base, but no one can say that he has not been what every franchise hopes their starting quarterback will be.
Durable. Consistent. Elite.