Falcons QB Matt Ryan one of the 10 most accurate passers in the NFL

If you ask most Falcons fans, they’ll tell you that Matt Ryan is a smart QB who is prone to the occasional “what the hell” throw, but is generally a pretty good player. While his decision making sometimes leaves us scratching our heads - especially in 2015 - his accuracy as a passer has never really been in question.

It would seem that the fine folks at Football Outsiders agree. Note: this is an ESPN Insider’s article which requires a subscription to read.

Per their list of QBs in 2015, Ryan ranked 8th in their accuracy metrics. It’s good to know that even in one of his worst seasons, Ryan still managed to be one of the more accurate passers in the league. These statistics take into consideration drops, throw-aways, spikes and the like.

Once you get past that group of the top five or so quarterbacks in the NFL since 2008 -- all likely locks for the Hall of Fame -- you usually end up with Ryan's name ranking at the top of a lot of these advanced stats. 2015 was only his fifth-highest C%+ yet, but his receivers dropped the most passes (33) of any team last year. That helps him get here in what was otherwise considered a down year as the Falcons ranked fourth in yards per drive, but only 16th in points per drive. Fans want to see more touchdowns, and missing out on the playoffs the last three years is why Ryan is often forgotten among the game's best right now.

The most eye-catching number is the dropped passes, which most fans would agree was a persistent issue for the team last year. It doesn’t excuse some of Ryan’s poor decisions throughout the season, but it’s good to know that if he’s able to clean those up, he’s still a very accurate QB.

Your thoughts on this ranking?