Matt Ryan needs to win versus Cowboys as much as anyone

Matt Ryan is already being trashed by the Falcons fan base.

There has been no better time for Matt Ryan to silence the doubters and prove where he belongs in the NFL amongst his peers. Right now, the populous continues to see the Atlanta Falcons quarterback as a very good player with glimpses of being great. But this season, Ryan can make a statement.

There are a lot of young, great quarterbacks in the league right now. It’ll be a three-way race for MVP between Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson. But that’s a given. You’ve also got Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger is back, oh, and don’t forget about Aaron Rodgers. And what do all those guys have in common? They all led their team to a week one win.

Ryan didn’t. You’re also looking at four guaranteed but probably six Fall of Famers. And after week one, they have combined for 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions. One knock against Ryan is he has rarely been the unquestioned best at any given time. He’s always been a neighbor to the top tier.

But this is the chance to prove Matt Ryan belongs.

He threw the ball 54 times in week one, that will never be a winning formula, no matter who is lining up at receiver. And even with that, he had two touchdowns and one interception. Now, he gets to go up against the Dallas Cowboys defense, on the road, and with fans in attendance for the first time this season.

If Matt Ryan wants to prove he is the top tier of quarterbacks, it starts Sunday. Dak Prescott is another young and upcoming quarterback looking to get paid. Ryan has to outduel him and pick up a win to get the ball rolling to prove his greatness. We know Julio Jones is a stud, we know the defense has questions, but the Falcons go as their man under center does.

He will get a chance to duel against the vets and some elder statesmen later in this year, but beating the young guns and proving where he ranks is a good start.

If Matt Ryan is tired of the talk about how good he is and where he belongs on the NFL lists, whether he’s a Hall of Famer, and if he’s a top tier quarterback, Ryan must start picking up W’s and keep the stats up along the way.