Matt Ryan: Top Tier QB in 2015?

Matt Ryan‘s Atlanta Falcons are 3-0. While he’s put up numbers in the first three games, is he actually at top-tier passer in the NFL entering Week 4?

Entering 2015, Matt Ryan was a Top 10 quarterback in the NFL is most followers’ eyes. In seven seasons, Ryan went to 3 Pro Bowls and led the Atlanta Falcons to 4 playoff berths. Before Ryan’s arrival in Atlanta, the Falcons had only made the playoffs 8 times in their 42-year existence.

While Ryan does lead the NFC in passing yards with 916, behind only New England’s Tom Brady in the NFL, he at times hasn’t looked spectacular in the pocket for the Atlanta Falcons. He’s had two interceptions and could have two or three more had the opposing defense been able to gather a few of his poorly thrown balls.

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However, if you look at where Matt Ryan ranks entering Week 4 in benchmark passing statistical categories, it seems like he’s actually one of the league’s very best passers this year. Ryan has the 4th most first down completions in the NFL. He’s 7th in yards per attempt at 7.6 and averages 8.2 yards per catch.

Entering Week 4, Matt Ryan has a Quarterback Rating of 98.6, which means he’s healthy and feeling fine. He has improved his weekly QBR each week this season: 90.1 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 96.6 at New York Giants, and 109.1 at Dallas Cowboys.

While it hasn’t looked pretty at times, Matt Ryan is clearly getting the job down as the Atlanta Falcons’ franchise quarterback. Does that mean he’s performing at the highest level of his passing peers? Can we put him in the Top 5 of all NFL passers now?

If I look across the NFL landscape, the only two quarterbacks I would definitely put ahead of Matt Ryan based on this year’s performance, filtered through their career reputations obviously, would be New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Brady has played out of his mind since Deflategate and Aaron Rodgers is still the best football player on Planet Earth.

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I think one could argue Matt Ryan as high as third in the NFL, given the lackluster play of some stars (Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, and Matthew Stafford) as well as a handful of injuries (namely Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo). Arizona’s Carson Palmer and Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton are having great years, but were middle of the pack passers entering the season.

Yes, it’s easy to persistently throw the football in Julio Jones‘ direction and yield results. The guy is a once in a generational playmaker having a borderline unreal 2015. Then again, we can’t underestimate the familiarity Ryan and Jones have for each other, so maybe that is part of what is making this potential historic receiving run possible.

Should some of the upper crust of NFL passers continue to underwhelm and injuries prevent Romo and Roethlisberger from missing significant playing time, it’s very possible that Matt Ryan elevates his play to one of the very best in the NFL this season. He did it through the first quarter of the 2012 NFL Season, so why couldn’t he do it again in 2015?

Next: Atlanta Falcons: Tevin Coleman or Devonta Freeman?

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