Matt Ryan named NFL MVP after spectacular season

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has etched his name in the NFL history books, earning MVP honors after a spectacular season. Ryan’s performance in 2016, and the way he elevated the talent around him, justify the recognition.

Ryan was also named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Still, even as the season was winding down and Ryan continued to turn in MVP-caliber performances each week, the conversation still centered around Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as candidates for the award.

Ryan’s teammate Julio Jones thinks it’s because Ryan flies under the radar.

“They talk about quarterbacks a lot and Matt is not one of those guys that you hear a lot from,” Jones said. “He’s just a hard working guy, and his consistency over the years that he’s been in the league. He’s been great with me. The last six years I’ve been here with him have been phenomenal.”

The voters for the MVP award obviously took notice of Ryan’s performance in 2016.

Atlanta finished the regular season 11-5 and secured a first round playoff bye, almost exclusively on the strength of its offense. Ryan was the catalyst for that success. It was a career year for Ryan, who finished the regular season with 4,944 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions.

One of the more consistent knocks on Ryan coming into the postseason was a lack of playoff wins. Ryan and the Falcons had made the playoffs four times over the course of his career, but he’d managed just one win in that time frame, over the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round following the 2012 season.

After a decisive victory over Seattle in the divisional round this season, in which Ryan became the first quarterback to ever throw for 300-plus yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against a Pete Carroll Seahawks defense, that criticism seemed less relevant.

And after that, Ryan and the Falcons trounced Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game, winning 44-21. Ryan finished with 392 yards and threw four touchdowns, adding one on the ground.

But the MVP award is based on regular season performance only, and Ryan’s regular season success was impossible to ignore. The team came into the postseason with the league’s 27th-ranked scoring defense. Atlanta allowed an average of 25.4 points per game over the regular season, but that was no problem for Ryan. The offense dropped 40-plus points on five different teams in 2016.

For his efforts, he earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod. Ryan was also named 2016’s first-team All-Pro quarterback by the Associated Press for the first time in his career.

He did so by elevating the talent around him. Yes, Ryan has Julio Jones, who was responsible for 1,408 yards and six touchdowns this season. Ryan also hit 13 different receivers in the end zone for touchdowns this season, establishing an NFL record.

He elevated the play of receivers like Taylor Gabriel, who was cut by the Browns prior to the 2016 season and finished this season with 579 yards and six touchdowns.

Ryan has played with remarkable confidence, and the results helped the Falcons get to Super Bowl LI. His success has also made him the league’s MVP for the 2016 season.