Atlanta Falcons Vs Carolina Panthers: Four Offensive Players Who Flew High and Three Who Were Grounded
Matt Ryan – Quarterback
Matt Ryan had a solid but not necessarily a spectacular game against the Carolina Panthers. He completed 15/26 throws for 239 yards. His completion percentage of 57.7 was the second lowest of these season. Only the first game against the Philadelphia Eagles, saw Matt Ryan complete a lower percentage.
His 26 passing attempts was the least amount of passes Matt Ryan has thrown in a game this year. His quarterback rating was a very good 126.9 for the week 16 match up. The Atlanta Falcons offensive line did a good job keeping Matt Ryan clean for a change, allowing only one sack.
The stat that Matt Ryan recorded that was spectacular, was the fact he threw three touchdowns against Carolina. That marked the sixth game this season that Matt Ryan has thrown for three or more touchdowns, and was his tenth game with multiple touchdowns in 2018.
Matt Ryan now has 33 touchdown passes this season, the third most of his career. He is also number 13 on the NFL All Time touchdown passing list, passing the great Warren Moon. He will look to finish strong in Tampa against the Buccaneers next week.
Pro Football Focus Grade: 70.3
ATL All Day Grade: B-
Honorable Mention: Brian Hill – Running Back
Second year running back Brian Hill is an interesting story. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in fifth round of the 2017 draft and was released after training camp. He was re-signed this season, pulled from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after the injury to Devonta Freeman.
An injury to Ito Smith provided Brian Hill with the opportunity to see his first regular season action with the Falcons. He made some mistakes, but he had an overall nice showing for himself. Hill didn’t receive a high grade from PFF, mostly due to the fact he fumbled the ball. He was graded just 64.1.
Hill only received 14 snaps, but he carried the ball eight times in those limited snaps. He logged a strong 115 yards in those eight attempts. That’s an insane 14.4 yards per carry. His biggest hit was a smashing 60 yard run up the middle between center and left guard.
Brian Hill is still learning the game, but if he can have another good showing this week against Tampa, he can make a great case to be on the Atlanta Falcons roster next season. He brings power that the smaller Atlanta backs do not posses. Tevin Coleman was banged up in the game, so Hill may just receive his first NFL start next week.