Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan received a vote of confidence from both his head coach and owner after Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but he still knows responsibility for the Falcons’ disappointing slide falls on his shoulders.
Ryan threw two interceptions and fumbled on a fourth down as the Falcons dropped their third straight game at home and fourth straight overall.
“It’s starts with me,” Ryan said, via ESPN. “I’ve got to be better in terms of decision-making and knowing when to throw the ball away, cut our losses and kick the field goal. But we’ve got to really look in the mirror hard Monday and Tuesday before we get onto the practice field Wednesday and see what we can do differently to stop that from happening. For me, it starts with making great decisions, and I didn’t do a good job of that.”
Ryan now has eight interceptions and two lost fumbles since the Falcons started the season 5-0. He has 15 turnovers overall in 2015, including a league-high four in the red zone. Vikings cornerback Terence Newman intercepted him in the end zone on a third down play this past Sunday, taking away at least three points.
He finished the game with 21 completions for 230 yards and a garbage-time touchdown, with a passer rating of just 76.0. While third in the NFL in passing yards after 12 weeks, he’s 21st in passer rating at 88.6. Only two players—Peyton Manning (17) and Blake Bortles (13)—have more interceptions than his 12.
For now, Ryan still has the confidence of the important people in the Falcons organization.
“Absolutely,” owner Arthur Blank told ESPN. “He’s demonstrated his abilities over eight years. He’ll be fine. He’ll be good.”
“He’s absolutely the competitor that I want,” head coach Dan Quinn added. “He’s what we look for and our team looks for the whole way.”
Getting back on track won’t be easy for Ryan and the Falcons. Atlanta must now go on the road for three straight games, including divisional road trips against upstart Tampa Bay and unbeaten Carolina. At 6-5, the Falcons probably need to win at least three of their final five games to have a chance at the postseason.
Atlanta can’t pull it off unless Ryan snaps out of his funk. The eighth-year starter isn’t Tom Brady, but he’s certainly better than the version we’ve seen over the last six games. Ryan has five more games to turn around the Falcons’ fading season.