Stop blaming Matt Ryan for the Atlanta Falcons blunders

There is a lot wrong with the Atlanta Falcons, but Matt Ryan is definitely not one of them.

It’s true that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is not having one of his best seasons through five games. He has matched his interception total from last season and has made some questionable throws, but if it wasn’t for him, the Atlanta Falcons would be much worse.

While his interception total may be high, he also has thrown for 1,655 yards, good for second place in the NFL. He has also completed 70.3% of his passes, throwing 11 touchdowns in the process. He almost single-handedly mounted a comeback against the Indianapolis Colts, posting a passer rating of 121.1. He put on a show in the second half showing off just how good of a quarterback he is.

Against the Houston Texans on Sunday, the offense was not the problem. Ryan threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns. The atrocious performance from the defense made it impossible for the Atlanta Falcons to stay in the game, no matter what Ryan did.

It doesn’t help that the team has no run game. There have been times where it seemed like Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith were starting to get going until the offensive line decided to start being terrible again. With no run game, Ryan is consistently throwing the ball 45-55 times a game, while having to play keep up because the defense can’t get stops when they are needed the most.

Ryan has not been perfect, but he shouldn’t have to be to win every game. It is ridiculous that this fan base consistently rags on him. He makes mistakes just like everyone else and it is a shame that he isn’t respected as much as he should be by the city. No way this team sees the amount of success that it’s seen over the last 11 years if Ryan is not the quarterback.

The Atlanta Falcons don’t need to make a change at quarterback, but they do need to make a change in many other areas if this team wants to get back to being a super bowl contender.