Matt Ryan has bold prediction for Falcons, feels he’s best QB in NFC South

Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the biggest story in the NFL this offseason, let alone the NFC South. And while that move could shake up the balance of power in the division, Matt Ryan is feeling extremely confident about his team’s chances of returning to the postseason.

Ryan was a guest on the “Pardon My Take” podcast this week, and his bold claims made for some great headlines. For starters, he said he believes the Falcons are going to win 12 games this season. He was also asked if he considers himself the best quarterback in a division that features Brady and Drew Brees, and the 35-year-old said he would “currently” put himself ahead of those two future Hall of Famers.

Matt Ryan was awesome on today’s @PardonMyTake. Headline Grab City pic.twitter.com/POttOSzNiB

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) June 24, 2020

There was a lot of talk over the weekend about Ryan declaring himself a better QB than Brees and Brady, but the context is important. For starters, podcast hosts Big Cat and PFT Commenter openly joked that they were trying to set Ryan up to deliver attention-grabbing quotes. Ryan was mostly just playing along. Also, what else is he supposed to say? No quarterback in the NFL should openly admit that another QB in his division is better, even if it’s the truth.

The Falcons are certainly flying under the radar heading into the season. They’ve made a couple of big roster moves, and Ryan recently expressed his excitement in one of them. You could argue that Atlanta has been sent into a tailspin since its infamous meltdown in the Super Bowl a few years ago, but Ryan is a former NFL MVP who should have plenty of good football left. He has a great opportunity to surprise some people this year.