The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ryan looking to rebound from last performance against Saints
When the Falcons lost to the Saints t wo weeks ago, Matt Ryan spent a lot of time on the ground, looking at the ceiling of the Mercedes- Benz Superdome.
T h e q u a r t e r b a c k w a s sacked eight times, hit an additional 11 times, didn’t throw a touchdown pass and finished the game with his lowest quarterback rating since October 2013.
“It’s going to be a quick turnaround,” Ryan said after the loss Nov. 22. “Obviously, we’ve got ( Las) Vegas next week, and they are playing very well. So we have to focus on that, be better and get a win next week. We’ll see these guys in two weeks, and hopefully we’ll have a different outcome.”
A week later against the Raiders, t he Falcons produced their highest point total of the season in a 43- 6 win. Ryan completed 22 of 39 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception.
“I feel he had a good game l ast week,” quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp said Thursday. “I know the numbers, t he bottom- l i ne numbers didn’t say that, but we had a couple drops, we had some good throwaway situations, so the overall completion percentage and yards per attempt went down, but he protected the ball very well. He moved us in the two- minute drill and up and down the field, especially in the second and third quarters. I felt like he really managed the game extremely well and had a good bounce- back game.”
N o w, f a c i n g a n o t h e r matchup with New Orleans on Sunday, Ryan is hoping to build on the momentum.
“Definitely doing some different things in terms of our plan to try and do better than we did l ast time, that’s for sure,” Ryan said Wednesday. “That’s always the case the second time you play an opponent, you want to make some adjustments. I think it’s going to be a collective effort.
“All of our guys on the outside need to play well ( and) run good routes. I’ve got to do a good job of having good eye discipline, making sure I’m where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there and getting the ball out of my hand and not letting those guys get home.”
The Saints have one of the top defenses in the NFL and have allowed only one t ouchdown i n t hei r past four games. They lead the league in total yards allowed and explosive plays allowed and rank second i n yards per play and rushing yards. When these two teams met two weeks ago, New Orleans held the Falcons to 2 of 14 on third- down plays.
“They get of f t he f i e l d on third down,” Ryan said. “They’re very good in firstand second- down defense of kind of putting you in thirdand- longs. I think when you have a defense like that, that keeps things in front of them, doesn’t give up big plays and keeps you off- schedule, it’s a recipe for success.”
Fo r Ry a n a n d t h e Fa l - cons t o f i nd s uccess t hi s t i me around, conver t i ng on third down — or avoiding getting into third- andlong situations in the first place — will be key.
“There’s nothing wrong with making first downs on first and second down,” Ryan said. “That’s wise wisdom from older guys that kind of mentored me earlier on in my career.”
Carrying the confidence of last week’s win over the Raiders also will be important, particularly as the Falcons go up against a historically challenging opponent — and one of their biggest rivals. No one in the organization wants to go 0- 2 for the season against New Orleans. Ryan, who is 9- 15 in his career against the Saints and had his worst game in years against them two weeks ago, is no exception.
“We’ll have a good plan,” Ryan said. “We’ve all got to do our part, though. We’ve all got to pull our weight. Getting t he ball out, running good routes, creating separation and then playing well up front. It’s going to be a collective effort for us to do better than we did the last time we saw these guys.”