Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan makes a mockery of the Miami Dolphins secondary. Ryan confessed to falling asleep during game six of the National League Championship Series and subsequently missed the Atlanta Braves advancing to the World Series, as reported by ESPN. Ryan found motivation and inspiration in the Braves making the World Series. He stated, the Braves struggled all year and yet still managed to reach the championship, “Why can’t it be us?”.
Ryan made two huge throws to rookie tight end Kyle Pitts to get the Falcons into field-goal range on the game-winning drive. Younghoe Koo made a 36-yarder as time ran out, and the Falcons went on to beat the Dolphins in a thriller. This makes the sixth loss in a row for the Dolphins and the second game in a row on a walk-off field goal.
Matt Ryan. Kyle Pitts. Here come the #DirtyBirds.
📺: #ATLvsMIA on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/JcelijOeaS— NFL (@NFL) October 24, 2021
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith praised Ryan’s mindset and courage, stating that he is a special player who has been underrated throughout his career.
Atlanta Falcons Beginning to Find Themselves
Ryan threw for 336 yards, two touchdowns, completed 25 out of his 40 passes. And he threw one interception on the day. However, 163 of those yards were accounted for by his rookie tight end who has finally surfaced and showed he can be an asset to this Falcon offense. As of now, Pitts has not lived up to expectations.
The Falcons allowed this game to be much closer than it should have been. They gave up a 13-point lead to the Dolphins in the fourth quarter. They found themselves trailing with two minutes left on the clock.
The two daggers to Pitts allowed the Falcons a chance to make up for the atrocious quarter they played until this point. Ryan threw a 23-yard dime to Pitts, and later in the drive a 28-yarder down the sideline. They eventually ran the clock out and brought upon one of the youngest talented kickers in the league to finish the job.
“We had enough time,” Ryan stated. “We just needed a field goal. I have confidence in our kicker.”
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 291 and a career-high four touchdowns on the day. He completed 32 of his 40 passes and turned the ball over twice. Both of these turnovers resulted in points for the Falcons.
While he played exceptionally and even put the Dolphins in a position to win. His team let him down and they fall to 1-6 for the season.
“He positioned us to win the game, and that’s all you can ask from the quarterback,” commented Dolphins coach Brian Flores.
