- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
By Besting Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan Proves Falcons Are Legitimate Contenders
- Updated: October 31, 2016
Last week, after the Atlanta Falcons dropped a second consecutive game thanks in part to a fourth-quarter interception from franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, you couldn’t blame Falcons fans for panicking. This, after all, is a team that had made a habit of spoiling close games with late miscues—a team that finished 3-8 after a 5-0 start in 2015.
That would have been an overreaction, but what are sports without overreactions?
The Falcons’ 33-32 Week 8 victory over the Green Bay Packers may rightfully spur the opposite reaction among Atlanta’s fanbase, because Ryan did everything necessary to prove his team isn’t fading from contention in 2016.
How so?
He outplayed the real Aaron Rodgers
This wasn’t the Aaron Rodgers who was plagued by inconsistent mechanics and lackluster execution for much of the first two months of the season. It wasn’t the Aaron Rodgers who entered Week 8 with a lower passer rating than guys such as Trevor Siemian, Cody Kessler and Brian Hoyer.
Rodgers was in the zone throughout the day in Atlanta, completing 28 of 38 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns. For the first time since Week 3, Rodgers and the Packers didn’t commit a turnover. He had six completions for 10-plus yards on Green Bay’s first two possessions, and the Packers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives. The two-time MVP also scrambled six times for 60 yards.
Any time you score 32 points, you’ve put your team in a position to win.
But the Packers lost, primarily because Ryan was better.
The 31-year-old completed all but seven of his 35 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns in what was also a turnover-free performance for the Atlanta offense. He hit six different receivers more than once, and he had nine completions for 10-plus yards in the first half alone.
With critics wondering whether Ryan was beginning to fall off a cliff after a great start to the 2016 season, he won a duel …
