Matt Ryan and an important positive for Atlanta Falcons

Coming into today’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Washington Redskins had yet to intercept a single pass in the 2015 regular season. Despite this, their pass defense has been surprisingly strong under new defensive coordinator Joe Barry, as they had the NFL’s 12th-best net yards per attempt allowed through the first four weeks of the regular season, according to Pro-Football Reference.

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That said, the vast majority of us expected Matt Ryan and an elite Falcons offense to pick apart the Redskins secondary, especially since Ryan hadn’t thrown a pick since his two miscues in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Well, Ryan threw two more picks today, including an absolutely ghastly one with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter, and he clearly looked off the pace. Losing Leonard Hankerson during the game didn’t help, and Hankerson didn’t appear to be 100% after returning from the shot to the ribs he took. Meanwhile, veteran Roddy White was a complete non-factor with just one receptions for 16 yards, and he looked exactly like a frustrated franchise icon mired in serious gameday trade rumblings.

So armed with Jacob Tamme and rising star Devonta Freeman as his top weapons, Ryan delivered a rocky and disappointing performance for Falcons fans and fantasy owners. That is until he ran a flawless two-minute drill, slicing through the Redskins defense like a knife through hot butter. This drive was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown to Freeman, and the rest of us were left saying things like, “Ah, clutch Matt Ryan saves the day,” or “This is what was supposed to happen throughout the game.”

But the call was overturned, causing panic until Freeman punched it in again on a run, making it 27 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown and seven receptions for 44 yards on eight targets. The Falcons would go on to win in overtime, as Kirk Cousins‘s pick six proved to be the final blow in this one.Fantasy owners were disappointed by Ryan’s numbers, but anyone who started the red-hot Freeman against a solid Redskins run defense that was surrendering 3.9 yards per carry coming into today’s game was rewarded in a big way.

It’s crazy to think that Julio Jones, who has been the best receiver in the NFL this season and is seemingly impossible to cover, was held to just five receptions for 67 yards in a game in which Hankerson and White had just one reception apiece. Thankfully for the Falcons, Freeman and Tamme, who swallowed up eight receptions for 94 yards on ten targets, were up to the task.

Games like this are a reminder of how important it is to have a strong running game, and the Falcons are more than just “balanced”on offense. After Ryan had to deal with Steven Jackson‘s plodding ways in the backfield, he can now rest easy knowing that an off game won’t guarantee a loss on the part of the Falcons, because Freeman looks like a true feature back out there. It’s hard to call what he’s doing a fluke now that he’s done it for three straight weeks, and, unlike with the Dallas Cowboys, you can’t explain away his big game against the Redskins by insulting the likes of Terrance Knighton.

Oct 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) attempts a pass in the first quarter of their game against the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Falcons survived a 55.1 QB Rating on a 24-42 passing line with just 6.0 yards per attempt from Ryan, and they survived an awful non-catch call against Freeman. We knew the Redskins would give Ryan a fight, but nobody expected both Ryan and Jones (even at less than 100%) to struggle like they did against a formerly suspect Washington secondary.

Even though this was an ugly game for the Falcons and Ryan, there is one important positive takeaway, and that is courtesy of Freeman. The Falcons showed that they can win behind a strong running game and timely plays, and the increased well-roundedness of this team will be key going forward. Ryan and Jones will, for the most part, play at a high level, but if they do have an off game, the Falcons showed the rest of the league that they can overcome it and avoid a let-down performance.

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