Matt Ryan gets NFL Spin Zone Player of the Week

The first week of the 2014 NFL season is behind us after the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals netted victories last night, but the most impressive performance of Week 1 came in one of the early games on Sunday. Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Matt Ryan is arguably the fifth-best QB in the NFL, and he showed off his impressive accuracy and decision-making skills in a 37-34 overtime victory over the rival New Orleans Saints. A formidable Saints secondary on paper looked absolutely powerless, as Jairus Byrd, Kenny Vaccaro, Keenan Lewis, and the rest of the bunch had no answer for Ryan and the wide receiver trio of Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Devin Hester.

Live Feed

Blogging Dirty

While Ryan doesn’t possess elite physical tools, he’s a special quarterback because of his efficiency. And hey, just because he doesn’t have Jay Cutler‘s arm doesn’t meant that he doesn’t carry an impressive box of tools with him. Ryan was purely dominant on Sunday en route to a 31-43 passing line that was good for 448 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks. It was pretty much a flawless display from one of the league’s best QBs, as he averaged 10.4 yards per attempt with a 128.8 QB Rating and an ESPN TQBR of  91.9.

Without Ryan’s show of force, the Falcons would have lost that contest, and they need Ryan to play at that high of a level against a Super Bowl contending team in order to make up for the Falcons subpar offensive line and spotty defense. The Falcons are amazing where they are strong, but this isn’t a deep or stacked team by any means. They are, however, filled to the brim with talent in the passing game, and there’s no doubt that the Saints secondary witnessed that first-hand.

Ryan received plenty of praise for his performance, and that much should be obvious. But plenty of people, such as Julio Jones, were also impressed by his rushing ability, as he had a key scramble. Matty Ice is as clutch as they come, and he and Matt Bryant helped the Falcons start their season with a bang against their most hated rivals.

If Jones and White can stay healthy this year after missing plenty of time last season, then Ryan could be in for a special season. This team rides and dies on the passing attack, which flopped last season thanks to their injuries at WR and abhorrent offensive line play. Despite the stats, Ryan actually played at a high level last season, and that has carried over-and then some- so far this year. It’s just one week and Ryan won’t throw for 400 yards in every game, but he could actually average 300 yards per game as a passer, and the Falcons are actually at their best in shootouts because of their weapons. This is a top-heavy team, but when the guys at the top are firing on all cylinders, they are still a formidable challenge for pretty much everyone in this league.