Matt Ryan thinks the Falcons ‘can still be a bit better offensively’
On paper, Matt Ryan didn’t have a big day against the Raiders in Week 12, but he didn’t have to. The Falcons had control of the game throughout the entirety of the afternoon and were never in threat of losing their grasp. Ryan ended the day with only 185 yards and two scores. His lone interception came off a deflected ball intended for Hayden Hurst over the middle.
The last time Ryan passed for less than 200 yards was Atlanta’s 26-9 win over the Saints in 2019. The Falcons QB started off his postgame press conference praising the defensive performance and how the turnovers gave the team a short field.
“Definitely gives you a lift and we did okay with it today with coming up with touchdowns. We definitely came away with points which is ultimately the most important but I still think we can be a bit better offensively to find ways to score touchdowns in those situations.”
Ryan was asked about the importance of the 4th-down touchdown right before halftime, and credited the aggressiveness of head coach Raheem Morris and the body control of WR Calvin Ridley. Ryan also praised kicker Younghoe Koo’s maturation over the course of this season.
“You can see as a teammate his confidence continuing and build and I’ve been impressed with his maturation in the last year and a half. We certainly have a lot of confidence in him.”
Despite having a slow start, the Falcons were able to get things going in the second quarter. Ryan said it came down to execution.
“I think it was just better execution and definitely having short field opportunities, which helps in that department. We knew coming into it, it was a defense that we needed to stay in front of the chains.”
With WR Julio Jones inactive this week and Olamide Zaccheaus leaving the game early, the Falcons were forced to look down the depth chart to get the passing game going.
“I thought our guys did a nice job going out there competing. It made it even tougher when Olamide went out of the game too, but Christian Blake and Brandon Powell did a nice job of filling in. I appreciate their effort, professionalism, and readiness at any moment to go in and play all kinds of positions for us.”
Going from scoring nine points to 43 points, has to give a shot of confidence to this Falcons team. But Ryan said it all comes down to preparation.
“Your confidence has to come from the preparation that you put in week-in and week-out and the belief comes from that. Sometimes in this league, weeks like last week happen, you play a good team on the road. I’ve been around for a long time to know that it happens from time to time. You can’t let one loss turn into another.”
In Week 13, the Saints come to Atlanta for the second of two regular-season matchups. At 4-7, the Falcons have very little, if any, margin for error going forward.
