Matt Ryan’s 5 Most Memorable Moments
On his 33rd birthday, we’re going to be taking a look back at Matt Ryan’s career and counting down his top 5 moments in a Falcons uniform!
Matt Ryan has played 10 seasons in Atlanta and has no doubt been the best Falcons QB of all time. Those 10 seasons have led to countless memorable moments for fans but 5 stick out in my mind.
5. 503 yards and 4 TDs vs. the Panthers
This game is most famous because Julio got 300 yards but the man throwing it to Julio had one of his best games ever. It set a career high for passing yards in a game and tied his career high for touchdowns in a game. Ryan not only was prolific from a statistics perspective but he made some wonderful throws in this game. This is personally one of my top moments because I think it really propelled Atlanta to get on a roll and get to the Super Bowl.
4. His 1st pass (and TD)
Matt Ryan came in 2008 at a troubled time for the Franchise and many fans didn’t accept him. Many analysts also didn’t believe Ryan was going to be very good as even Ron Jaworski said Ryan would have to sit a year behind Redman before playing. Mike smith didn’t listen and Ryan made an instant impression. His very first pass in his career was a 64 yard TD pass to Michael Jenkins against the Lions. The rest has been history.
3. The comeback against Ravens in 2010
in 2010, Matt Ryan already had made many of his game-winning drives and had established his clutch genes but this was a different monster. Not only did he have to face Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrel Suggs and the amazing Ravens defense but Ryan only had a minute to score. He placed several key passes right on the dot and managed to find Roddy White for the game-winning touchdown. I was at this game and it was an amazing sequence that got the Falcons to 7-2.
2. Comeback vs. Seattle in the 2012 playoffs
n 2012, Ryan had led Atlanta to a great season going 13-3 and earning a first-round bye. In the divisional round, they met Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. At that moment in his career, It was his biggest game ever. He was 0-3 so far in the playoffs and many fans blamed the losses on him. Whether or not it was warranted, Ryan had a lot of pressure to perform. He came out swinging and led Atlanta to a 20-0 lead. Everything went downhill from there as usual. Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch scored 28 points while the Legion of Boom-led by young Richard Sherman held Atlanta to only 7 points. Marshawn Lynch scored a touchdown with about 30 seconds left to go to give Seattle its first lead of the game at 28-27.
I was at that game and many Falcons fans began to boo Matt Ryan as ultimately, even if it isn’t his fault, the blame is on the quarterback. Ryan, as demonstrated many times in his career, kept his head down and orchestrated a great drive. He threw two great passes and even though it wasn’t a long drive, Ryan amazed under pressure to set up Matt Bryant for the game-winning FG. Matt Ryan won me over that day, even though he broke my heart the very next week, and I think for many Falcons Fans it is a moment that will never be forgotten.
1. Green Bay Playoff Masterpiece
Matt Ryan has fought the playoff stigma his whole career and he finally had a chance to put that and the 2012 debacle to rest by winning the NFC Championship vs. the red-hot Packers. He had a great game throwing for 392 yards and 4 TDs but the most memorable moment came in the second quarter. It was 2nd & 10 from the 14 and the Falcons were up 10-0. The Packers had shown signs of life but Ryan needed to put an end to it. He couldn’t find an open man, evaded the pressure and even juked a defender en route to scoring his first rushing TD ever in the playoffs.
You could very well make a case for his whole game to be his best moment but I chose the TD run for a reason. Ryan always celebrates with his teammates after throwing a TD but he’s rarely the main guy.
This time he was and it showed you just how much this franchise meant to him. If you watch the clip, you see at the end him throw the ball towards the barrier not out of anger but out of love for the franchise. This game meant so much to him and for him to be able to have his moment for this city is why it’s number one.