Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been named the NFC Player of the month for September.
Ryan closed out the month of September with a big time performance on Monday Night Football, leading the Falcons to a 45-32 win over the division rival New Orleans Saints. Ryan threw for 240 yards on 20-of-30 passing with two touchdowns and a 113.2 quarterback rating in the win. He directed an offense that scored on six straight drives, including touchdowns on five straight red zone possessions.
The ninth-year signal caller has guided the Falcons to a 2-1 record in the first three games of 2016. He completed 73-of-103 pass attempts for an NFC-best 70.9 completion rate while throwing for 970 yards. Ryan is averaging an NFL-best 9.42 yards per attempt and has connected on eight passes of 25 yards or longer. He ranks tied for third with seven touchdowns and his one interception is tied for the fewest among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts.
Ryan opened the season by throwing for 334 yards on 27-of-37 passing with a pair of touchdowns and a 112.6 passer rating against Tampa Bay. He followed that up by completing 26-of-34 passes for 396 yards, three scores and a 131.5 QB rating at Oakland in Week 2. Ryan led the Falcons offense to the sixth-highest output in franchise history, racking up 528 total yards in that game. He is riding a streak of three straight games (five straight dating back to 2015) with a passer rating above 100.
This is Ryan’s third time winning the player of the month award in his career – first since September of 2012. His three Player of the Month awards are also the most by any player in franchise history.
