Falcons fans aren’t used to losing since drafting Matt Ryan

The 2018 season has been a disappointment. Many NFL analysts agreed that this Falcons team was one of the most talented in the league. While injuries had a big impact on the downturn of this season, one thing most people agree on is that QB Matt Ryan was not one of the issues this year.

In his 10 seasons in the league, Matt Ryan has only three losing seasons to his name. The other seven seasons were 8-8 or better, with six of those finishing 9-7 or better. Simply put, since the Falcons have drafted Matt Ryan, Atlanta fans have grown used to winning.

That’s not to say Matt Ryan is perfect or without any blame. Anyone who has watched Ryan play knows there are limitations to his game and that he has definitely had games where he cost the team a win. More often than not, though, he’s been a big reason the team has even been competitive. Never forget: This man made Harry Douglas a 1,000-yard receiver.

When you consider that even a first-ballot Hall of Fame QB like Drew Brees has had six losing seasons in his career, what Ryan has done in 10 years looks even more impressive. For a franchise that never had back-to-back winning seasons before 2008, Ryan has been everything we could have hoped for and more.

So, while we spend the next few weeks examining the 2018 season and what went wrong, let’s take a moment to appreciate the remarkable consistency we’ve gotten out of our QB. He’s part of the reason we have a team whose losing season is so disappointing to begin with.