Falcons’ Ryan back in familiar territory today
PHILADELPHIA — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has another shot at a happy homecoming.
A berth in the NFC championship game is at stake today when Ryan leads the sixth-seeded Falcons (11-6) into a divisional playoff game at top-seeded Philadelphia (133). Ryan, who grew up rooting for the Eagles and went to Philadelphia’s William Penn Charter School before moving on to Boston College, is 1-3 at Lincoln Financial Field.
“I’m used to it now,” Ryan said about returning home. “Playing as long as I have, I understand regardless of where we play, you have to be at your best every week. The one nice part is there will be a lot of familiar faces, friendly faces after the game, which is always nice.”
Ryan was stellar last season on his way to league MVP honors, but he had his worst game of that regular season in a 24-15 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 2016. He completed 18 of 33 passes for 267 yards with one touchdown and one interception that afternoon, the most recent meeting of the teams.
“Obviously, there will be some scheme from that game that we’ll take — what went well and what didn’t go well — and try to improve on that,” Ryan said. “We’re a different team than we were last year when we played them, and they’re a different team. It will be some carry-over, but it will be a little bit different.”
It has been even longer since the Falcons and the
Eagles met in the postseason, with their clash for the NFC title on Jan. 23, 2005, preceding the start of Ryan’s pro career. Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb and Atlanta’s Michael Vick were the quarterbacks that day as the host Eagles won 27-10.
The Falcons beat the Rams in a wild-card matchup last Saturday as the city of Los Angeles hosted a playoff game for the first time since January 1994. The Eagles, who had a bye last weekend, are in the postseason for the first time in four years, which could make the Linc’s atmosphere even more lively than usual.
While the official attendance last Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was 74,300, there’s crowd noise, and then there’s the noise generated by Philadelphia fans, who are known for their intensity. Atlanta coach Dan Quinn seemed to search for a polite term to compare Eagles fans with those the Falcons played in front of in California.
“I’m not going to say more passionate,” Quinn said with a smile, “but I would say more Northeast.”
The Falcons have pumped in artificial noise in practice this week but will lean heavily on Ryan and center Alex Mack to use their experience with silent counts and hand signals.
“That’s huge,” Falcons tight end Levine Toilolo said. “That’s where it all starts, coming off the ball, the cadence and stuff like that. We definitely work on that every week. Their fans, we’re expecting a loud crowd in a big playoff game.”
Mack said he expects Philadelphia’s fans “to be really dedicated, really loud, really involved. So it’s going to be a challenge just in terms of crowd noise.”
Philadelphia’s offense shouldn’t have to worry about crowd noise, but the Eagles will begin their push for the team’s first Super Bowl appearance the 2004 season without the quarterback who led them for most of their turnaround season.
Nick Foles will make his fourth start under center since replacing Carson Wentz after the MVP candidate tore his ACL in Week 14. Foles played well in his first five quarters but struggled in the next five.
He’s certainly a dropoff from Wentz, but he’s also capable of spectacular performances, including throwing seven touchdown passes in a game in 2013 and four touchdowns in his first start this season.
“There’s enough substance behind his career that merits having confidence,” said Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who knows something about stepping in and stepping up as a backup quarterback.
Reich was the backup to Jim Kelly for the 1992 Buffalo Bills, and after Kelly was injured in the regular-season finale, it was Reich who led them to their first two wins in that postseason. That included a 41-38 overtime victory against the Houston Oilers in the wild-card round, with Reich leading an NFL playoffs-record rally from 32 points down.
Foles isn’t worried about trying to do anything that grand. He just wants to help his team get to the next round by doing what is asked.
“It’s just going out there and playing and staying in the zone and trusting my instincts,” Foles said. “I’ve played this game a long time. There’s a reason I’ve been able to do what I’ve been able to do. When I play my best and I’m most comfortable, I just go out there and play.”