Atlanta Falcons: 3 Players that must shine vs. Buccaneers in Week 12
3. Matt Ryan
In a game that might feature a decent amount of offense throughout the course of the contest on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Matt Ryan might be in store for a breakout game and a standout performance for the Falcons at home.
With the exception of maybe a week or two up to this point in the season, Ryan has been dominant under center for Atlanta entering the Week 12 slate of games in the 2019 campaign.
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In the victory on the road in Week 11 over the Carolina Panthers, Ryan once again threw for over 300 yards in the passing game en route to the win. In the game, the quarterback finished with 311 yards through the air while converting on 21 of his 31 pass attempts and throwing for one touchdown. While averaging 10.0 yards per pass, Ryan also managed to not throw an interception in the matchup.
Up to this point in the year, Ryan has tallied 2,663 yards through the air with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions, also recording a completion percentage of 69.2 percent while averaging 7.6 yards per pass attempt for the Falcons.
In Week 12, Ryan and the rest of the Atlanta offense will have to try and jump out to an early lead like they have been able to do in the last two games which have resulted in wins. That has allowed the Falcons to create some breathing room and let the offense go to work to try and continue to put up points on the scoreboard while the defense has been able to hold opposing squads in check on their end of the field.
Although Ryan will be without tight end target Austin Hooper once again this week while he continues to battle back from a knee injury and we don’t yet have an official word on running back Devonta Freeman’s status going into the game, the quarterback will still have plenty of options within the passing game that should allow him to step up and perform well once again on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.