Entering the 2016 NFL season no one was calling Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan an MVP candidate. Instead it was all the usual suspects like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton — quarterback of the Carolina Panthers.
Then Ryan went off. In his second season under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan he found his rhythm in their offense. By season’s end Ryan had 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns and just seven picks. He also completed an amazing 69.9 percent of all his passes. All those statistics were career bests for the veteran leader of the Dirty Birds.