Tag: Matt Ryan

Ex-Falcons QB Matt Ryan weighs in on Cousins-Penix debate

Ex-Falcons QB Matt Ryan gave his take on Atlanta’s quarterback controversy

If the Atlanta Falcons want to secure their first NFC South title since 2016, they must play better football than we’ve seen over their last three games. Kirk Cousins is going through arguably the worst stretch of his NFL career and must attempt to right the ship against his former team.

In Week 14, the Falcons will travel to Minnesota, where the 36-year-old spent the last six seasons. The Vikings attempted to re-sign Cousins in free agency but Atlanta offered a fourth year to seal the deal.

Minnesota hasn’t exactly struggled without the four-time Pro Bowler. Despite losing first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the season, the Vikings have gone 10-2 with Sam Darnold under center.

Cousins and the Falcons got off to a hot start but the quarterback’s recent struggles have some fans calling for rookie Michael Penix Jr. to take over. The team is sticking with Cousins, and while not everyone thinks that’s the best move, Matt Ryan is on board.

“I look at what they’re going against this coming week in Minnesota playing against that defense with Brian Flores [and] all of the different packages he has from a blitz perspective, I think you’ve got to stick with Kirk,” Ryan said during an appearance on CBS.

The former Falcons quarterback has been a vocal supporter of Cousins, but he also left the door open for a potential in-game QB change if things go south early in Week 14.

“I just don’t think this is the week to do it for Michael Penix, but if it goes bad, you know, if it goes bad and it’s not kind of the first half that you want — I know Raheem has said he’s not going to make a change at this point — I think they’d be apt to make an in-game change.”

Ryan has been in a similar position and knows the pressure of playing quarterback in Atlanta. He went on to call the situation unfortunate for Cousins.

“It’s unfortunate because I think Kirk has been a really good player for a long time but he’s just really struggled the last couple of weeks.”

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Former NFL MVP: The Commanders are not on the ‘Kliff Cliff’

Some terrific analysis from a former NFL MVP on Kingsbury, Daniels and the Commanders.

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has been scrutinized in recent weeks. With Washington’s offense struggling over the past couple of weeks, the “Kliff Cliff” talk made its way back into the news.

What is the “Kliff Cliff?” It’s an unofficial term used to describe how Kingsbury’s offenses struggle in the second half of seasons, from his days as head coach at Texas Tech and during his four seasons as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

While the stats show some decline, it’s far from an accurate comparison and lacks context. It doesn’t consider college scheduling, which is notoriously weak early in the season, bad defenses, and injuries.

It’s essentially a talking point for many who seem to have an axe to grind with Kingsbury. Those who discuss the “Kliff Cliff” refuse to acknowledge that context exists.

One former NFL quarterback doesn’t believe in the “Kliff Cliff” or that the Commanders are on that proverbial decline.

“I’ve been hearing this narrative all week about the Kliff Kingsbury Cliff,” CBS Sports analyst and former NFL MVP Matt Ryan said on Sunday.

“This narrative of Jayden Daniels hitting the rookie wall. I do not see it. When I watch, I think Kliff Kingsbury is doing an excellent job with Jayden Daniels. One of the things I want to see with a young quarterback is use tempo. Forty-five of their 67 snaps last week were no-huddle. The other thing I like, get him involved in the run game early. Two designed quarterback runs in the first seven plays. Then, take a little bit of pressure off of him. Use some gadgets, on the ninth play of the game, they go with a reverse and it’s a gain of 20-plus yards. I think Kliff Kingsbury has done an excellent job.”

Then, Ryan accurately describes the situation better than anyone.

“The No. 1 factor here, though, is that they’ve exceeded expectations,” Ryan said. “They came into the season; I think nobody thought they’d be in the position. But he has helped put them there. I look at the six first-round picks that the Commanders had prior to Jayden Daniels; not one of them is on their roster. The issue with this team is a lack of depth, and it’s a lack of depth because of the people that were in that building before the guys that are there now. I think they are a year or two away, but I think this guy right here, Jayden Daniels, and this coaching staff has gotten it right.”

This is an excellent analysis from someone who has been in Daniels’ shoes and played for Dan Quinn. Ryan was one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks in the 2010s, and his analysis is much more accurate than someone who has a spreadsheet, an X account, and throws darts at Kingsbury’s picture.

Former NFL QB: Bengals are ‘most dangerous’ team in wild card race

Bengals fans will love what this former NFL MVP has to say.

The Cincinnati Bengals are back in the playoff race after the Week 7 win over the Cleveland Browns.

While they wouldn’t be in if the playoffs started today just yet, the move to 3-4 has put them in a position to get there—which is frankly incredible after that 0-3 start.

And it’s Joe Burrow’s offense that has someone like CBS analyst and former quarterback Matt Ryan considering the Bengals the biggest threat of all.

“There’s a very real chance this Bengals team is .500 in early November,” Ryan said. “And that puts them squarely in the AFC wild card talk along with the Broncos, Chargers, Steelers, Jets and the Colts. In my opinion, of that group, Cincinnati is the most dangerous because of what they can do offensively. The only way they get there though, is if the defense starts playing better.”

Luckily for the Bengals, the defense has been playing better in recent weeks, and the unit also just avoided a major injury in surprising fashion.

Had the defense played better over the first month of the season, perhaps the Bengals win that one-point loss to Kansas City or the overtime, three-point loss to Baltimore.

The fact the Bengals have already played those two contenders to close results says quite a bit about the team’s upside, at least.

The Bengals play 4-2 Philadelphia and 2-5 Las Vegas next and could very well have a winning record before a Week 10 rematch with the Ravens.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick had a funny reaction to ‘TNF’ game featuring Broncos and Colts

Ryan Fitzpatrick joked (?) that the 12-9 game between the Broncos and Colts in 2022 made him question becoming a TNF analyst.

Two years ago, the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts faced off in a Thursday Night Football snoozefest.

The game was so ugly that former NFL quarterback and current NFL on Prime commentator Ryan Fitzpatrick joked (?) that it made him question becoming a TNF analyst.

“This game had me questioning post career decisions,” Fitzpatrick wrote on Twitter/X.

Colts quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked six times and threw two interceptions. He ended the day 26-of-41 passing for 251 yards with no touchdowns and a passer rating of 60.1.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked four times and also threw two interceptions. He ended the day 21-of-39 passing for 274 yards with no touchdowns and a passer rating of 54.9.

Three Indianapolis players fumbled and two Denver players fumbled. The teams combined to have four turnovers and 10 sacks in an ugly offensive effort.

The game was decided by the kickers. Chase McLaughlin of the Colts was a perfect 4-of-4 on his field goal attempts while the Broncos’ Brandon McManus went 3-of-4. That missed field goal ended up being the difference in a 12-9 game.

The Broncos will aim to turn in a more entertaining performance when they face the New Orleans Saints on TNF on Oct. 17.

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Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Best photos from Week 5 matchup

Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Best photos from NFC South showdown on Thursday night

The Atlanta Falcons played their biggest game of the year in prime time on Thursday night. Not only was franchise passing leader Matt Ryan in the house for his Ring of Honor induction, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to town with the NFC South lead on the line.

Check out the best photos from Thursday night’s division matchup, including Ryan’s halftime induction into the Falcons Ring of Honor below:

Cameron Jordan searching for his first sack vs. Falcons post-Matt Ryan

Cameron Jordan is searching for his first sack against the Falcons since they traded Matt Ryan. Maybe Kirk Cousins can help him end that drought:

No one in NFL history has sacked a single quarterback more than Cameron Jordan has sacked former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. With the New Orleans Saints traveling to Atlanta on Sunday, this feels like an appropriate time to remind all Falcons fans of this fact.

Jordan and Ryan were both NFL iron men. During their 11-year overlap in the NFC South, neither of them missed a Saints versus Falcons game. In those 22 matchups, Jordan took Ryan to the turf 24 times, though since he split two sacks with other players, his official count is just 23.

The most consistent stretch came slightly before Ryan left Atlanta for the Indianapolis Colts. Jordan registered three consecutive two-sack games. He failed to register a sack in the next game, then exploded for seven sacks in the following two games. This six-game stretch accounted for 13 of the 23 sacks against Ryan.

Oddly enough, Jordan hasn’t registered a sack against Atlanta since Ryan left in 2022. Kirk Cousins is closer to Ryan’s level of mobility (and Jordan has 3.5 sacks against Cousins in six matchups, including the playoffs), so maybe that could help Jordan end the drought.

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Falcons inducting two members into Ring of Honor over next two weeks

The Falcons are inducting team owner Arthur Blank into the Ring of Honor on Sunday night..

The Atlanta Falcons will officially add two members to the team’s Ring of Honor over the next two weeks. Atlanta will induct team owner and chairman Arthur Blank in Week 3 before adding former NFL MVP Matt Ryan in Week 5.

Blank will be inducted during Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, while Ryan will wait until the team’s Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 3.

“We’re incredibly proud to have ranked No. 1 in food and beverage in the NFL’s Voice of the Fan survey for the past seven years,” said Greg Beadles, President of the Atlanta Falcons. “Arthur’s leadership in prioritizing the fan experience is a hallmark of our organization. Through our partnership with Levy, we’ve built an unparalleled food and beverage program that extends Arthur’s vision of making every fan feel valued. His influence goes beyond our organization and continues to drive positive change in the sports and entertainment industry.”

Ryan spent 14 years of his career with the Falcons after being selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft. The signal-caller had a standout rookie season, leading the team to an 11-5 overall record and a surprise postseason appearance. That performance earned him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

The former Falcons QB finished his time in Atlanta with a 65.5 percent completion rate, passing for 59,735 yards and 367 touchdowns from 2008 to 2021. Ryan started 222 for the Falcons and posted a record of 120-102.

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Matt Ryan left Peyton and Eli Manning speechless with his end-of-game logic for the Eagles and Falcons thriller

What?

To be honest, it’s a little tough to figure out what Matt Ryan was trying to say here while he enjoyed the Atlanta Falcons’ comeback win Monday night over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ryan had a blast on the ManningCast while watching Kirk Cousins engineer a drive that gave the Falcons the surprise win in primetime, but there was one moment that left the Manning brothers speechless. Hat tip to Warren Sharp for recording this, in which Ryan declares a team should kick the field goal and then go for the onside kick for an end-of-game Hail Mary.

OK, I’m gonna try this: I think he assumes the Eagles would score a touchdown to go up 25-15, and that the Falcons would then go for a field goal, kick onside and then try to score a touchdown.

But the situation dictated that if the Eagles got a first down (this was before the Saquon Barkley drop), the Falcons had no timeouts, so Philly would have kneeled three times to ice the win.

So that left the Mannings confused:

https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1835881515617550454

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Matt Ryan joining the ManningCast for the entire Falcons game-winning TD drive was perfect

Okay, this was awesome.

The Atlanta Falcons completed an absolutely unreal comeback against the Philadelphia Eagles to win their first game of 2024 on Monday Night Football.

The ManningCast had the best broadcast of it you’re going to hear, if only because former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan joined Peyton and Eli Manning for the entire game-winning drive.

From the first play to the Drake London touchdown, the entire commentary from Ryan and the Manning brothers fits so well with what’s going on in the game. Ryan’s reaction to the London touchdown was particularly priceless.

This was a cathartic victory for the Falcons, and this ManningCast broadcast segment met the moment and then some.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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CBS’s NFL studio show had a classy message for former colleagues Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms

What a classy move by CBS’s NFL studio show.

In the hard-nosed world of NFL media, there’s a lot more churn and turnover than you think. This sentiment even applies to the established former professionals who actually played the game at its highest level.

In advance of the 2024 NFL season, CBS restructured its lead studio show, The NFL Today, to include former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and former Houston Texans pass-rusher J.J. Watt. That meant the network said goodbye to long-time panelists and NFL legends Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms, whose respective contracts weren’t renewed.

Before taking a break, host James Brown made sure to acknowledge all the success the show has had by properly shouting out Esiason and Simms’ roles. Naturally, the entire panel agreed that they “missed them” in a classy moment:

 

It’s a cold world out there. But if you’re Esiason and Simms, it’s probably nice knowing your old friends still appreciate you even if you don’t work for them anymore.