Falcons: Matt Ryan ranked as top 3 deep passer in 2021

Although Matt Ryan may no longer be a part of the Atlanta Falcons organization anymore, he is still one of the greatest players in the franchise’s history and should be recognized for all the amazing things he was able to accomplish during his time with the team.

While Ryan did not have one of his usual years statistically in 2021, he was still among the elite, and Next Gen Stats says he was one of the league’s best deep passers in 2021 despite not having much talent to throw to.

The Falcons’ 2021 QB ranked as the second-best deep passer in the entire league

Yes, you read that right, the Falcons had the second-best deep passer in the NFL according to Next Gen Stats.

NFL.com recently put together an article highlighting the top ten deep passers in the NFL, and even for those people who are big fans of Matt Ryan, it was still shocking to see him ranked so high on the list.

The only quarterback who ranked higher was Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. Matt Ryan was able to beat out guys like Tom Brady, who is not even on the list, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Stafford.

Those guys also benefitted greatly from throwing to receivers like Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and Cooper Kupp, while Ryan’s top deep threat was a tight end, albeit a pretty talented one in Kyle Pitts, but it still shows that Matt was able to elevate the play of others around him.

Even Nick Shook, who put together this article, acknowledged just how impressive Matt Ryan was:

"“As we know, Ryan’s Falcons didn’t make the playoffs last season, and he was traded to the Colts in March. However, Ryan’s deep-passing stats show how he vastly outperformed expectations under difficult circumstances in 2021. Consider: Atlanta’s top receiver, Calvin Ridley, played in just five games before leaving the teams to focus on his “mental wellbeing.” Ryan was left to lean on rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, with Russell Gage, Tajae Sharpe and Olamide Zaccheaus as his top wideouts. His offensive line was notoriously leaky. And he still tied for the top passing score on deep passes in the entire league.While we’re only discussing deep throws here — as opposed to every type of pass attempt — it is rather easy to see why the Colts felt Ryan would be the solution to their quarterbacking problems. Those of you who believe “Matty Ice” is washed, over the hill, past his prime, etc., are flat-out wrong. The numbers prove it.”"

It is hard to argue what he had to say, those people who think he is washed are in for a rude awakening as he will finally have the pieces around him to succeed.

Sad to look back and realize that all the Falcons got for the league’s second-best deep passer was a third-round pick, but what is done is done, nothing you can do about it now.