The Atlanta Falcons last won a Super Bowl in 1966, but they’ve had some good players. Deion Sanders, Steve Bartkowski, Michael Turner, Tommy Nobis, and Jamal Anderson are widely known to Falcons fans. At the same time, players like Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Michael Vick have elevated the team’s reputation with highlight reel plays. QB Matt Ryan, linebacker Deion Jones, and wide receiver Julio Jones are all making history for the Falcons.
Passing attempts: 651 Matt Ryan (2013) / Passing completions: 439 Matt Ryan (2013)
Efficiency has helped Matt Ryan have one of his best seasons and placed him in a position to earn his first MVP award. From 2012 to 2015, the Atlanta Falcons’ former quarterback had more than 600 passing attempts each season, with a career-high of 651 in 2013. In other words, Ryan’s 439 completions in 2013 were the most by a quarterback backed by the NFL’s worst rushing offense. Ryan had 415 completions in the 2014 NFL season, second.
Passing yards: 4,944 Matt Ryan (2016) / Passing touchdowns: 38 Matt Ryan (2016)
In 2016, things changed. Ryan had only 465 passing attempts after the first two postseason games. Unless the Falcons throw the ball around wildly against the Carolina Panthers this Saturday and the New Orleans Saints the following week, he will finish the year with the third-fewest career attempts. He ranks second in league with 38 touchdown passes and third with 4,944 yards. Ryan plays well and has a stronger season than expected.
Passing interceptions: 25 Bobby Hebert (1996)
Hebert played his last four NFL seasons with the Saints’ division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. After a furious side-line dispute with head coach June Jones in September 1996, the Falcons suspended George for the season, and Hebert resumed his starting role. Hebert had 3,152 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in 1996 but a career-high 25 interceptions. Worse, he had a 3-10 record as the Falcons’ starting quarterback that year. Bobby Hebert, “The Cajun Cannon,” retired from the NFL after the 1996 season.
Completion percentage: 69.9 Matt Ryan (2016) /Passing rating: 117.1 Matt Ryan (2016)
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On Saturday, Matt Ryan was voted NFL Most Valuable Player in recognition of his outstanding play throughout the 2016 regular season, which he used to lead the Atlanta Falcons to new heights. Since he threw for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns, completed 69.9 percent of his throws, and had a passer rating of 117.1, the Associated Press awarded him the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year. He recorded a passer rating of 100 or higher in 12 of 16 games, tied for second highest in a season behind only Tom Brady and Steve Young.
Rushing attempts: 410 Jamal Anderson (1998) / Rushing yards: 1,846 Jamal Anderson (1998)
Anderson had the best season of his professional career in 1998, and he was celebrating in Hawaii. That season, he led the NFL with 410 carries, scored 16 touchdowns, and rushed for 18,46 yards to help Chris Chandler and the Falcons win the championship. The Falcons were defeated in Super Bowl XXXIII, despite featuring a showdown between two of the league’s greatest running backs that year: Anderson and Terrell Davis. Davis’ 2018 season was his best statistically, as he rushed for 2,008 yards and 23 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
Quarterback sacks: 16.5 John Abraham (2008)
While playing with the New York Jets, Abraham was drafted in the top 15 of his class 18 years ago. After being traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2006, he immediately impacted the team’s defensive philosophy. The defensive end set the benchmark for the franchise with 16.5 sacks in 2008, ranking third in the NFL that year.
Matt Bryant: 158 points (2016)
The Falcons’ 2016 season, in which they led the league in scoring, won the NFC Championship and reached their second Super Bowl, was marked by many offensive successes. Their veteran kicker, who had been on a roll, broke the franchise record for most points scored in a season that year. Bryant holds the record for most points scored by an Atlanta Hawk in his career. Furthermore, in 2016, Bryant was the only Falcons player to average more than nine points each game.
Scott Case: 10 interceptions (1988)
Case, drafted by the Falcons in the second round in 1984, had a meteoric rise to prominence four years into his NFL career, when he led the league with ten interceptions (a Falcons franchise record at the time) and earned his only Pro Bowl nod. In addition to having the fourth-most interceptions and second-most tackles for the Falcons, he also participated in the third-most games by a defensive player in franchise history.
Rushing touchdowns: 17 Michael Turner (2008) / Total touchdowns: 17 Michael Turner (2008)
Turner‘s $34.5 million contract was the Falcons’ biggest offseason signing in 2008. He ran over 1,300 yards in the Falcons’ next three seasons (2010–2012). Turner’s 17 touchdowns in 2008 set the franchise record. He set the record for career rushing touchdowns (60)
Receiving catches: 136 Julio Jones (2015) / Receiving yards: 1,871 Julio Jones (2015)
Jones has the second-most receptions in the 2015 season’s final tally in NFL annals. At the end of the 2015 season, Jones had 136 receptions. In 2015, Jones was on the verge of making headlines. At the end of the season, he tied Antonio Brown for the second-most receptions in a season with 136. With 1,871 yards in 2015, Jones is the only player to have passed the first-place receiver.
Also Read: Atlanta Falcons Team Overview and Analysis – Pro Football Hall of Famers (sportsdigest.in)
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