5 Falcons players the Carolina Panthers must keep quiet in Week 8
By Jason Huber
Matt Ryan – QB
Despite being 36-years-old, Matt Ryan hasn’t completely slowed down yet. Over the past three games, the quarterback has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 301 yards-per-game with 10 touchdowns and one interception.
Not bad for someone that was reportedly fighting for his job this offseason.
The Atlanta Falcons entered the season looking like a mess of a team besides their young offensive weapons. But Ryan’s strong play has continued to keep them relevant.
The Carolina Panthers’ loyal fanbase doesn’t really need an explanation of why they must shut Ryan down. He holds a 17-9 record all-time against them, after all.
After losing his favorite target over the past decade in Julio Jones, Ryan has found connections on offense with Cordarelle Patterson, Kyle Pitts, and Calvin Ridley. A trio of weapons that any opposing defense needs to take extremely seriously.
Ryan is 10th all-time in passing touchdowns and eighth in passing yards. He might actually be underrated – which is a strange thing to say of a former NFL MVP who was taken No. 3 overall out of Boston College back in 2008.
However, he is older and with the Panthers pass-rush, they need to make it a long day for him.