Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #21 - Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan is the fifth active quarterback to appear on this list, and though he has had some ups and downs over the past several years, the highs were very high, and are the biggest reason he belongs on this list.

Ryan was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in 2008 by Atlanta, and was named the starter before his first pro game. He had a solid first season, for which he was named Rookie of the Year. He missed two games in his second season to a turf toe injury, which are to date the only games he has missed in his career.

Over the next 3 years, he made steady improvement, raising his yardage and touchdown totals each year, and he even led the league in completion percentage in 2012. He had led the Falcons to the playoffs 3 times before, but in 2012 he finally earned his first playoff win, knocking out the Seahawks in the divisional round before losing to the 49ers in the NFC title game after Ryan suffered a minor shoulder injury.

The next 3 seasons were down seasons for both Ryan and the Falcons, as he had his 3 highest interception totals, his touchdowns dropped, and the team missed the playoffs in all 3 seasons. Things may not have been looking good, but they were about to get much better.

Ryan had a career season in 2016, winning the MVP after setting career highs with 4944 yards and 38 touchdowns, as well as a career-low 7 picks. The Falcons stormed through the playoffs behind a dominant Ryan, who threw 1014 yards and 9 touchdowns without an interception in 3 games, peaking midway through the Super Bowl when they led 28-3 before the offense stagnated and the defense allowed the Patriots back into the game. It was still a very successful postseason, and would have been remembered as one of the best ever if they had only won.

2017 looked a lot like the 3 seasons before his MVP year, but he returned to form in 2018, putting up numbers that were nearly identical to his MVP numbers, though he did not receive the same level of recognition due to the Falcons missing the playoffs.

Ryan is currently 34 years old and could still have plenty of good years left, and though he has yet to win a Super Bowl, he is a recent MVP coming off of a very good season with solid offensive players around him, so he will have ample opportunity to improve on this ranking in years to come.