Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan’s Struggles are Concerning
By Nick Ziegler
The Atlanta Falcons did not look good against the Miami Dolphins in their third preseason game. One player that really struggled was quarterback Matt Ryan.
Since being drafted with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Matt Ryan has been the face of the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan has been able to put together plenty of good seasons for the Falcons, but he has been struggling so far in the preseason.
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In the loss to the Miami Dolphins, Ryan played rather poorly in the tune-up for the regular season. Against Miami, Ryan totaled 129 passing yards on 12-for-22 passing with an interception.
The red zone interception that Ryan threw was certainly the low point of his game. Last season, red zone interceptions were a major problem for Ryan and the Falcons’ offense. With that being a major issue last season, it was not good to see it happen in the preseason.
“We had a double move going with Jacob cutting back to the inside,” Ryan said to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “He kind of got knocked off a little bit by the Sam ‘backer. And I expected him to get across face, and it doesn’t happen with the bump. So, just have got to move on with the progression and try and move back side. It’s just one of those things, being aggressive, we didn’t make a play. But it’s a good thing to learn from. Hopefully, we’ll be better when we get to the regular season.”
We most likely won’t see Ryan in the fourth preseason game for the Falcons, which makes the disappointing game against the Dolphins is a final tune-up. It has not been a good preseason for Ryan, who has looked unimpressive in all three games.
“We would have liked to have played better tonight, there’s no question about that,” Ryan said to McClure. “But it is what it is. We’ve got to get back to work tomorrow; look at the film, evaluate it, see how we can improve, and then get back on the practice field.”
While many will say it is only the preseason and it doesn’t mean anything, Ryan’s struggles go back to the second half of last season. After a great start to the season in 2015, Ryan and the Falcons really came down to earth quickly.
In the final eight games of the season last year, Ryan totaled ten touchdown passes and nine interceptions. For a quarterback that is as talented as Ryan, those numbers are very poor. The Falcons expect Ryan to be closer to a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio as their franchise quarterback.
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Coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons have to be slightly worried about the poor preseason considering what they saw at the end of last season. If Ryan’s struggles continue in the regular season, the Falcons will be in big trouble. With about two weeks to go before the start of the regular season, Ryan will try to work through some things and get better for Week 1.