2020 Atlanta Falcons Over/Under: Matt Ryan 5,000 yards and 40 TD’s
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s career season best is 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns which he achieved in 2016.
Sure, check out any Atlanta Falcons fan page and there is sure to be someone that loves to remind people that Matt Ryan’s best season came with Kyle Shanahan as the offensive coordinator and that is obviously true. But to say that season was a fluke, is nonsensical at best.
In 2018 under Steve Sarkisian, Ryan threw for 4,924 yards and 35 touchdowns nearly equaling his output from two years prior.
Over the last nine seasons, Matt Ryan has thrown for no less than 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. Sure, neither of those numbers are good enough to get it done, but the Falcons did the make the playoffs in 2017 when that is what able to achieve under first-year OC Steve Sarkisian.
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, the question becomes can Matt throw for 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns.
There have been 12 times in NFL history when a quarterback has thrown for at least 5,000 yards in a single season; five of those 12 were Drew Brees of the Saints. The last quarterback to do so was Jameis Winston in 2019.
Looking at the 2020 Atlanta Falcons roster, there are plenty of weapons at Matt Ryan’s disposal in order to get to that mark.
In addition to Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, he will have Laquon Treadwell, Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Todd Gurley II, Hayden Hurst, Jaeden Graham and several others at his disposal.
With the addition of Matt Hennessy at left guard and a healthy Chris Lindstrom at right, this will be the best offensive line that the Atlanta Falcons have had in quite some time. If they can stay healthy upfront like they did in 2016, the offense will put up similar numbers.
At 35, Matt is at the peak of his prime and will strive to take another step forward in order to help the organization get back to the playoffs for the first time since that 2017 season. A more efficient run game will help the passing offense and we should see career years for Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley, Hayden Hurst, and possibly even Julio.
Related Story. Matt Ryan’s Top 5 performances in his career. light
Over/under 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns: Over
My prediction for Ryan will be just over 5,000 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2020 and the Atlanta Falcons will get back to the playoffs.