The Atlanta Falcons' offensive inconsistencies have played a central part in the team's 1-2 start, but one of Atlanta's all-time great offensive pioneers believes the best is yet to come.
Matt Ryan, the Falcons’ starting quarterback from 2008-21, noted Atlanta is in the midst of the toughest part of its schedule, and Ryan feels first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will get the unit heading in the right direction.
“I’m bullish on the Falcons,” Ryan said Monday night via X. “I think they’re facing the gauntlet of the schedule early in the season. I believe the offense/OC are only going to get better as the year goes on. No reason to panic. NFC South is wide open.”
Ryan has experience going through a similar process. He played for three different coaching staffs in Atlanta, from Mike Smith and Dan Quinn to Arthur Smith. In 2015, Quinn's first year at the helm, Ryan was paired with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
While the team started 5-0, Ryan and Shanahan struggled. The year after, Ryan won NFL MVP and Shanahan parlayed his success into the San Francisco 49ers' head coaching gig.
Ryan, who now works as an analyst for CBS Sports, supported Cousins after a difficult Week 1 in which he went just 16-of-26 for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“This is a veteran player -- he’s got this database of playing well and rebounding from adversity,” Ryan said. “I think he gets it going in the right direction, and I am not overly concerned here. I know everyone wants to overreact and panic about performances in Week 1, but there are still 16 games to go.”
The 39-year-old Ryan also noted Robinson is still trying to get a feel for the talent around him, and in the two weeks since, Atlanta's offense has shown glimpses of what it may ultimately become.
And evidently, those glimpses have made Ryan a believer in the Falcons' outlook this season.
