Atlanta Falcons quarterback and MVP front-runner Matt Ryan would be the first to say he has gotten a big assist from a variety of sources while guiding the league’s top-scoring offense (33.8 points per game).
Ryan demonstrated offensive diversity during the regular season by finding 13 different receivers, an NFL first, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. From wide receiver Mohamed Sanu’s 5-yard touchdown in a season-opening loss to Tampa Bay to tight end D. J. Tialavea’s 1-yard score in a Christmas Eve win over Carolina, Ryan’s ability to find those targets helped the Falcons secure the NFC South title and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Now, the Falcons find themselves one step away from the Super Bowl with Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers.
Twelve of Ryan’s 13 touchdown targets — and one offensive lineman — reflected on being a part of history and detailed one of their scores.
Wide receiver Julio Jones , 1-yard TD vs. Saints, Week 17: “It was just one-on-one. Matt just gave me a catchable ball, you know… just let the better man win. How did I know I had him beat? Off the line. I had a two-way go on him. I could have either run the slant or the go ball. I gave him the slant first, and the go ball was there. ”
Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, 11-yard TD vs. Packers, Week 8: “It was just a play Matt made a great read on, and I was able to beat the linebacker over the middle. I had the option [route] over the linebacker. I was able to attack him and Matt made a great decision. I was the first read. The way the linebacker was playing me, I was able to lead him one way and then go over the top. Matt put it only where I could get it. ”
Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel , 47-yard TD vs. Packers, Week 8: “It was just a concept that Kyle [Shanahan] and us have been working on all year. We canned the [first] play. The safety was kind of sitting off the hash, kind of sitting over to Julio’s side. I saw it. I had one-on-one in man, and I took advantage of it. We didn’t think we were going to get the coverage. We got the coverage, the one-high safety, and ‘Matty Ice’ threw a great ball. ”
Wide receiver Justin Hardy , 7-yard TD vs. Saints Week 17: “It was basically just a go-route in the red zone. Matt threw a perfect ball only where I could get it. He threw it to the back shoulder. I just made a play on it. I had enough time to catch the ball and actually reach over the goal line. I knew I had the defense beat at the beginning of the play, just how the leverage was and how the structure of the defense was. ”
Wide receiver Aldrick Robinson , 35-yard TD vs. Panthers, Week 4: “It was a double move. Matt looked off the safety and found me down the sideline perfectly. It was a perfect pass. I just saw my guy and he took care of the rest. I knew I had [the DB] when he stopped his feet, and I ran by him. Matt’s throw was a dime. ”
Running back Devonta Freeman , 13-yard TD vs. Saints, Week 3: “It was basically a screen play. And I was one-on-one with a guy and I had to beat him to score. I was down at the moment. I was frustrated. I hadn’t made no plays. When I made that play, it was all excitement. It brought me back up. I was like ‘Thank you, God.’ Like, I’m relieved now. Now I can just go out and play football. … I just want to be the best. I just want to help my team be the best. ”
Running back Tevin Coleman , 6-yard TD vs. Rams, Week 14 (as told by tackle Ryan Schraeder ): “I believe that was just a regular halfback screen. Screens don’t always work out. You kind of just go on the fly. We had our linemen running out in space and go after guys, like Chris Chester, who’s been playing 11 years. Tevin caught the ball and there was a small seam there. He knew he was going to be hit on both sides and Tevin just ran through it. He doesn’t care. He’s going to put the ball in the end zone. ”
Fullback Patrick DiMarco , 1-yard TD vs. Buccaneers, Week 9: “It was a quick play call. We got into goal line personnel. We ran just a little slip pass, with the fullback to the flat. I think the Mike linebacker was scraping, and I think one of my tight ends ran a good route and got a good rub. And I was kind of just all there by myself. One of those where you’re so open that you’re like, ‘Look it in, look it in, look it in.’ I made the catch and I handed the ball to Matt so he could spike it. ”
Tight end Jacob Tamme , 14-yard TD vs. Raiders, Week 2: “We did a good job of mixing it up on them with our bootleg and play-action game and on that one, I was about the fifth option. Just did my part selling the run and then came out late as the final read. Sometimes you get a little lucky and they cover everybody else. I got tackled on the 1-yard line the week before, which drives me insane, so when I caught it, I wasn’t getting stopped this time. ”
Tight end Levine Toilolo , 32-yard TD vs. Buccaneers, Week 9: “It was seams routes. I think they had single-high [safety]. Our running back, Terron Ward , he actually did a good job of stepping up and helping with the block. And then Matt had to step up, and he scrambled out of the pocket. When you have two seams on a single-high safety, they basically have to take their pick as far as what seam they’re going to cheat to. Once you clear the linebacker, you just try to keep your width and turn your head. And I think with that blocking and Matt scrambling, he was able to buy some time and get to the seam. ”
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Tight end Austin Hooper , 42-yard TD vs. Panthers, Week 4: “It was like a play-action, Y-leak-type play. It’s going to fake like it’s a rollout away, and I start off on the right side and slowly kind of creep my way through the linebackers and run through the left side and sneak down the sideline. It’s about finding the hole in the zone, on the opposite side of the play-action. No one was around me. Matt turned around me and saw me open. I remember the ball being in the air and me saying, ‘Look it in. Look it in.’ I caught it, turned around and ran and got my first career touchdown. What did I see from the defense? Just pure confusion. They completely lost track of me and thought I was blocking a D-lineman.
