Ryan’s arm throws Falcons into NFC final

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan on Saturday solidified his status as the leading contender for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award by guiding the Falcons to a 36-20 victory over the visiting Seattle Seahawks in their NFC divisional playoff.

Taking advantage of multiple throwing options, Ryan completed 26 of 37 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns in front of jubilant fans as the Falcons advanced to the NFC Championship game for just the fourth time.

“It feels good,” Ryan told Fox Sports. “We have a lot of people who worked really, really hard ... coaching staff, front office, players. They put everything into it to give ourselves an opportunity this time of the year. I’m just happy with the way we played.”

The Seahawks made an impressive start with an opening drive that culminated in a touchdown to Jimmy Graham after 14 plays and 79 yards, but the Falcons took control from there as their vaunted offense was backed up by a stellar defense.

“We executed really well across the board,” said Ryan, who spread the ball around.

Eight Falcons hauled down at least one catch, and Julio Jones, Taylor Gabriel and Devonta Freeman each had at least 50 receiving yards.

“We weren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination; we made some mistakes, but our overall consistency for the entire game was really, really good. I was proud of the way that we played,” said Ryan.

Atlanta coach Dan Quinn, who was defensive coordinator for Seattle from 2013-14, was delighted his team delivered their fans a first playoff win since 2012, when they edged the Seahawks 30-28 in the divisional round.

“This city and our fans, their connection, you certainly feel it so it’s awesome for them,” said Quinn.

“We are going to have a playoff game at home and it’s because of them. We are so pumped to do it.”