Ryan is clear choice for MVP

Next week, the NFL will hand out its yearly awards, and there are several good candidates for MVP.

They include Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and New England quarterback Tom Brady, two of the best who have played the game and two players who seemingly are in the mix for MVP every year.

But if Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan doesn’t win the award this year, the NFL should just refrain from handing out the award for the 2016 season. Ryan has been that good.

Ryan and the Falcons won the NFC South title and had the second seed for the NFC playoffs. Combined with Green Bay’s win over top-seeded Dallas, Atlanta’s win over Seattle last weekend landed the Falcons a home date in the NFC championship game against the Packers on Sunday.

Granted, the postseason achievements of Ryan and the Falcons don’t factor into the MVP award voting, which is a regular-season award (that’s another column for another day), but Ryan has carried his terrific play from the regular season into the postseason.

During the Falcons’ 11-5 season, Ryan completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. Brady, whose Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game Sunday, completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,554 yards and 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions, while Rodgers completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 4,428 yards and 40 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

All three could make a strong argument for the award, for sure, but Ryan should come out on top. Rodgers certainly has stepped up his game in the second half of the season and in the postseason, but he and his Packers were shaky early in the season. Brady has been terrific, but remember, he was suspended for four games at the start of the season, and the Patriots still went 3-1 in those games. And he does have head coach Bill Belichick and that unbelievable coaching staff to lean on.

That leaves Ryan. Yes, Ryan does have plenty of help, as well. He has a talented group of weapons on the outside, and the Falcons’ running game certainly is improved this season. Defensively, the young Falcons have gotten better as the season has gone along.

But the Falcons’ chances start with Ryan, and he has been at his best this season.

That season should be rewarded with Ryan’s first MVP.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Ryan is clear choice for MVP."