While preseason form is always questionable in terms of translating into regular season success, the Atlanta Falcons can’t be upset with the way Matt Ryan has been performing so far in the “unimportant” games.
In his second preseason appearance, this time getting two series before leaving the field, Ryan led the Falcons twice to touchdowns, finishing with 4-of-5 for 75 yards and one touchdown pass, although the Falcons did end up losing 30-22 to the New York Jets, scoring all of their points against backups.
Ryan completed a 60-yard pass to fullback Collin Mooney, leading to rookie Terron Ward running four yards for the touchdown. On the next drive following an excellent Devin Hester return, Ryan completed it with a two yard toss to Leonard Hankerson for the second touchdown.
So with a 14-0 lead Matt Ryan left the game, posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating, bringing a nice follow up to his 6-for-6 with a touchdown in week 1 of the preseason against the Tennessee Titans.
As for Ryan’s backups, T.J. Yates got intercepted once and completed just 8-of-15. Sean Renfree completed 10-of-14 passes for 94 yards. Jerome Smith led the rushing for the Falcons, going for 25 yards, hoping that on his second season with the team he’ll get more opportunities than before.