Ryan's stat line: 374 yards on 26-of-34 passing, 74.3 completion percentage, a whopping 10.7 yards per attempt average, five touchdown passes and zero interceptions for a 148.1 quarterback rating.
Ryan's 148.1 passer rating is the highest passer rating in a loss in the Super Bowl-era, per NFL Research (minimum 25 attempts). The previous high was owned by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (141.3 in 2011).
"Anytime you score 30 points, you give yourself a good shot to win," offensive tackle Ryan Schraeder said, via ESPN's Vaughn McClure. "Our defense is a little banged up. We've got to pull the extra weight. We have to step up in certain spots."
The injured Falcons defense struggled to slow Drew Brees and the Saints, giving up 396 passing yards and 143 rushing yards. Dan Quinn's defense has been decimated by injuries, but also missed a bevy of tackles in a 43-37 overtime home loss.
The defensive problems meant Ryan's bonanza went for naught.
Sunday marked the 26th time in NFL history that a player threw for 350-plus passing yards, 5 TDs and no INT, per NFL Research. But Ryan was just the third to lose such a game. The others: Dan Marino, 38-34, to the Jets in 1988; and Eli Manning, 52-49, to the Saints in 2015.
The Falcons wasted Ryan's sterling performance, a breakout game from rookie receiver Calvin Ridley (7 for 146, 3 TDs), and another 4-of-4 red zone day.
"You never know how games are going to shake out, but your mentality offensively or as a quarterback has to be whatever we have to do," Ryan said. "If it's going to be like today, we've got to go out there and make the plays and score the points when we need to. And we had chances offensively to finish the ball game today, and we didn't do that."
Unfortunately for Ryan, with a record-setting Brees on the other side of the field, the Falcons' offense never saw the ball in overtime and fell to 1-2 on the young season in the process.
