Carolina Panthers: Ranking the NFC South quarterback rooms
By Luke Tucker
No. 3: Atlanta Falcons
The often forgotten member of the star NFC South quarterbacks is Falcons signal-caller Matt Ryan. It has barely been three calendar years since he was named the NFL’s MVP and infamously took Atlanta to the Super Bowl; however, the Dirty Birds just haven’t been able to find the same success since then.
Despite the Falcons going 7-9 in 2018, Ryan threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 35 touchdowns before following it up with a 4,466-yard campaign in 2019 to go along with 26 scores. The soon-to-be 35-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down in the past few seasons, so he likely won’t experience a significant–if any–dropoff in 2020. Even though his team has had a rough past couple of years, it hasn’t been the fault of their franchise quarterback.
Perhaps the one thing Ryan needs to improve upon in the upcoming campaign is his home/road splits. In eight games on the road, he threw 18 touchdowns with only five interceptions, whereas in seven contests at home, he passed for only eight scores with nine picks. There’s no logical explanation for the drastic splits, but if Atlanta hopes to compete in a stacked division, they, including Ryan, are going to have to figure out how to win consistently on their home turf.
Behind Ryan, the Falcons currently have Matt Schaub, Kurt Benkert, and Danny Etling on the team’s roster. Schaub is arguably the best backup in the division and has spent numerous years in the NFL as a starter. In his lone start in 2019, Schaub passed for 460 yards in a shootout with Seattle. Neither Benkert nor Etling have attempted an NFL pass, though both are dual-threat options.
Ultimately, the top-two quarterbacks on the Falcons’ depth chart are enough to buoy them here. If Ryan can be more consistent and the rest of the roster can stay healthy, it isn’t crazy to think the talented Atlanta offense can compete for a playoff spot. It’ll be a tough road for sure, but both Ryan and Schaub have shown that they are more than capable of lighting it up and taking their teams to the postseason.