Atlanta Falcons: 5 Takeaways from Week 1 Loss vs. Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles, Brandon Graham, Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Ryan is becoming exposed

I’m not going to sugar coat it, quarterback Matt Ryan was horrible this game. So many inaccurate throws or passes that just didn’t have enough zip on them. Watching him drop back to pass wasn’t exciting at all. In fact, I wasn’t really expecting much if he wasn’t throwing to Julio Jones. He was off target all night, and it’s not like he has the arm to hit a receiver instantly. Now I don’t know if it’s because it’s just the first game of the regular season and he has some rust.

But this is a veteran quarterback who’s a former MVP. There should be no excuses for his poor play this game. Elite players don’t have any excuses, especially if it’s “rust.” Come to think of it, was Ryan even an elite talent? Ever since Kyle Shanahan left the team, Ryan has fallen off his high horse as an elite quarterback. Is he just a product of great play calling? He did have his best season under Shanahan, which earned him an MVP and a super bowl trip.

I don’t think I’m bought into that narrative quite yet, because it’s not just Ryan who’s fallen off. It’s the entire offense in general. Everyone looks out of sorts except for Julio Jones.

It’s going to be a long season if in fact he’s just a product of a great system. How he bounces back come week two will reveal a lot about his performance from last night.

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