Matt Ryan wins 2016 NFL MVP award

Meet your 2016 NFL MVP: Matt Ryan.

There’s little question that Ryan deserves this award after putting together a historically great season, one that saw him pilot a league-best Falcons offense to 11 wins, the NFC South, and now a Super Bowl. He put up career best numbers virtually across the board, completing 69.9% (nice) of his passes for 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. The Falcons won 11 games in the regular season with him at the helm, and he has been masterful in back-to-back wins over the Seahawks and Packers in the postseason, which has been a major reason why the Falcons are in just their second Super Bowl ever.

There are many reasons why Ryan was so amazing this year—you can give credit to Kyle Shanahan, Alex Mack, an improved supporting cast, and Ryan’s willingness to change his approach. Ultimately, though, the talent was always there and circumstance has finally unlocked Ryan’s full potential. Even without Kyle Shanahan next year, Ryan will be an early MVP favorite, and this team should be back to contending once more.

Ryan put together one of the finest quarterback seasons in NFL history, and certainly the best season of his career. Congratulations to #2, who will hopefully cap off this magical run with a Super Bowl victory tomorrow night.

In case you’re wondering, the Falcons didn’t get any of the other individual player awards they were eligible for outside of the Deacon Jones Award for Vic Beasley (deserved) and the Assistant Coach of the Year award for Kyle Shanahan (not a player, but he also deserves it). Deion Jones and Keanu Neal lost out to Joey Bosa for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Khalil Mack won Defensive Player of the Year.