Matt Ryan for MVP: An interview with Football Outsiders’ Scott Kacsmar

With all of the talk about the NFL MVP race, and Matt Ryan’s candidacy, we took the time to talk with Scott Kacsmar at Football Outsiders to get his thoughts on the race. For those who are not as up-to-date on Football Outsiders, we start off the conversation by talking about the various ratings they do and why they’re a better indicator of quality play than traditional statistics.

Scott makes a very strong case for why Matt Ryan deserves it over Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, and is blunt about why he believes Ryan isn’t running away with the award (based on perception). For those on twitter, you can follow Scott at @FO_ScottKacsmar. He’s highly informative, and has been pounding the table for Matt Ryan for quite a while.

Some interesting notes that Scott pointed out on our conversation:

• The 2016 Falcons have won the most games in NFL history (11) for a team that gave up over 400 points on defense in a single season
• The 2016 Falcons have won the most games in NFL history (6) when giving up at least 28 points in a single season
• Since 1997, the 2016 Falcons are one of only 3 offenses to average over 3 points per drive (2007 Patriots, 2011 Packers)
• Since 1987, the first-team All-Pro nomination has accurately predicted the NFL MVP

It’s a good listen with lots of interesting stats and information. If you’re interested in that kind of stuff, you should definitely check it out.

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