The Falcons played without wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White against the Buccaneers last Sunday, but they were still able to snap their three-game losing streak with a 31-23 victory over the Buccaneers.
Quarterback Matt Ryan’s play was a big reason for that victory as he put up a strong performance despite the absence of those receivers. As a result, Ryan has been named the NFC’s offensive player of the week.
Ryan finished the game 20-of-26 for 273 yards and three touchdowns, good for a quarterback rating of 148.4 for the day. That’s the best of the season for Ryan and it marked his first turnover-free outing since the second week of the season.
Harry Douglas had a big game as the team’s top wide receiver and Ryan will have to keep up that connection for the Falcons to continue their offensive success as it looks like White may remain out at least one more week while he recovers from a hamstring injury.