Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. That saying is thrown around the NFL far too frequently. But with the way Matt Ryan led the Falcons at the end of their 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears, it’s safe to say the rookie quarterback is becoming a big-time player on the professional level.
True, Jason Elam was the one to kick the field goal, but if it wasn’t for Ryan’s 26-yard pass to Michael Jenkins to set up the game-winning kick, the Falcons would be at 3-3 right now instead of 4-2 and in a three-way tie for the division lead with Tampa Bay and Carolina.
“We had the play called on the sideline and we had enough time to get the ball to the outside if we threw it on time and got the completion and got out of bounds,” Ryan said about the last throw he made to Jenkins. “The timing worked out really well. Michael Jenkins ran a great route. I let it go early to try to get it to where he was going to be. He was in the right spot and made a great catch.”
MAKING BIG PLAYS
What makes this a great game for Ryan is that he was able to make plays through the air when the running game was getting stuffed. Michael Turner, the league’s leading rusher coming into the game, ended with 54 yards on 22 carries. As a team, the Falcons only rushed for 75 yards.
“Well, that’s going to happen sometimes, especially when you play against a very good defense like the Chicago Bears,” Ryan said. “I think their front seven is as good as anybody’s in the league.”
But that front seven, which consists of Brian Urlacher, Tommie Harris and Alex Brown, didn’t faze Matt Ryan, as he was able to complete 22 of 30 passes with 301 yards and one touchdown. He gives credit to an offensive line that kept him upright all day long and the wide receivers that made play after play.
“I thought our offensive line did a tremendous job in terms of pass protection and holding those guys long enough to the ball out of our hands,” Ryan added. “We have a lot of confidence in our wide receivers on the outside to win one-on-one matchups.”
Head coach Mike Smith thought that Ryan had another strong performance and is continuing to get better.
“Matt’s got ‘it’,” Smith said. “We don’t know what ‘it’ is, but he’s got it. Our guys have taken to Matt. Matt knows how to be a leader.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Falcons have a bye before embarking on a two-game road stretch where they go to Philadelphia and travel cross country to face the Raiders of Oakland. One of the team’s goals for road games is to start fast. Ryan would like to start those two games the way he started against the Bears, when he completed his first eight passes for 107 yards.
“It definitely helps,” Ryan said of coming out of the gates successfully. “As a quarterback, when you can get some completions under your belt and try to establish some kind of rhythm, I think that helps.
Ryan, the rest of the Falcons and their fans surely would prefer it if the next two games don’t come down to the final seconds.
“I’ve been in some wild games, but this one trumps then all,” Ryan said about the last 11 seconds of the contest. “There were just a lot of really smart and big plays in those types of situations and so it was a lot of fun to be a part of.”
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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