After another strong outing on Sunday by Matt Ryan, the fifth-year quarterback is gaining attention around the league as not just one of the up-and-and-coming young QBs the league boasts. Ryan is being discussed for putting himself into select company among signal callers.
Ryan was an efficient 30-for-40 passing for 275 yards and three touchdowns. While he threw his first interception of the season, it hardly slowed down the offense as they blazed their way to a convincing 27-3 win and a 3-0 mark on the season.
Under new coordinator Dirk Koetter, Ryan appears to be coming into his own within the offense and has been in complete control at all times this season. On third downs, a key down to sustaining a drive, Ryan has converted 50 percent of his chances. That stat puts Ryan second in the NFL, behind only Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's 56 percent.
Against the Chargers, Ryan converted at a 62 percent clip. Head coach Mike Smith sees Ryan's ability to convert the money down with confidence as key to his success this season.
"When you talk about third down efficiency, I think Matt has a lot of confidence that if we do get in a third down we're going to be able to convert on those downs," Smith said on Monday.
On the first drive of the game, Ryan led the team down the field, consistently converting on first and second downs, never facing a third-down conversion.
But Ryan's success on third down only scratches the surface of where he stands among the league's quarterbacks. His 72 percent completion percentage is tops in the league, leading Minnesota's Christian Ponder by two points, with ten more attempts and nine more completions.
Ryan's eight touchdowns are tied for the league lead with Roethlisberger and Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick.
His QB rating of 114 is also tops in the league. Ryan leads an offense that is scoring 31.3 points per game, tied for third in the NFL.
