On the way to their second-straight victory, the Atlanta Falcons watched Matt Ryan leap another rung on the all-time passing list.
In finishing with 311 pass yards on 21 of 31 with a TD in the 29-3 win over the Carolina Panthers, Ryan passed Warren Moon for 10th place on the all-time passing yards list. Ryan now has 49,383 total yards in 12 seasons.
"It's pretty special, for sure," Ryan said soaring into the top 10, via ESPN's Vaughn McClure. "I've been fortunate to play for a long time and to have some success. To be mentioned with all those other guys that are up there is special. I've always dreamed of being in that spot as a kid. To be there is good. There's a lot of work to do. But when you kind of hit milestones like that, it's always more fun when you do it in a win so you can celebrate with the guys."
While playing in a passing era affords Ryan the opportunity to gobble up stats, the accomplishment underscores his durability and often overlooked consistent play-making ability. For comparison, Ryan has more than 3,700 more yards than Aaron Rodgers -- who many consider the most talented QB in the NFL -- even though the two both became starters in 2008 (Ryan as a rookie and Rodgers in his fourth season).
Obviously, passing yards aren't the be-all-end-all stat, and it takes circumstance combined with the talent to lead to a boatload of yards, whether hollow or otherwise. However, it can be a way to highlight Ryan's career accomplishment that often goes undersold.
"He's been a top-10 quarterback in every sense for a very long period of time," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "I'm thrilled for Matt. I'm thrilled for the team. I'm sure glad we've had him since 2008."
