On passer rating alone, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is having a rather unremarkable start to the 2015 season. His 98.6 rating may be a good number for your body temperature, but it makes Ryan only the 14th most efficient passer in a 32-team league. Beyond that, seven QBs have more touchdown passes than Matty Ice's five to date. Nine others have as many.
Yet study the NFL standings this morning and only seven teams are still undefeated, including the Falcons, whose 3-0 start is all the more impressive because two of those wins have come at New York and Dallas, never easy places to win.
In fact, of those seven teams with perfect records, only Atlanta, Cincinnati and Denver already have two road wins.
Perhaps that's why Mike Keith, the radio voice of the Tennessee Titans, told the Chattanooga Quarterback Club on Monday, "There's a reason Dan Quinn wanted the Falcons (head coaching) job. They have a quarterback."
For anyone who's ever played so much as one season of Fantasy Football, the Falcons have three ingredients that are a must for a successful season, whether in a Fantasy format or the real thing.
One, they have a quarterback in Ryan whose overall numbers currently have him second to Tom Brady in the NFL's ranking system. Two, they have a game changer in wideout Julio Jones. Three, they have a vastly improved defense under Quinn, who helped guide Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator.
Yes, the Falcons are only ninth in points allowed (24 a game) within the 16-team NFC, but they were near the bottom of the entire NFL last year. And this team has been at its best when it mattered most, coming from behind to win all three of its games, including pitching a second-half shutout at Dallas.
It's not even completely far-fetched to see Atlanta make a run at an undefeated season, as preposterous as that might have seemed at season's dawn.
Beginning with Houston's visit to the Georgia Dome this weekend, the Falcons are about to face seven straight teams with losing records, and 10 of their remaining 13 games come against teams that currently have losing marks. In fact, other than two games with NFC South Division co-leader Carolina, the Falcons face just one more team with a winning record, and the Minnesota Vikings must visit the Big Peach on Nov. 29.
There's also the fact that Ryan hasn't thrown a single interception in his last two games.
Under new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan it's clear the Falcons are becoming a load for every team they face. Merely soak in this quote from Dallas defender Sean Lee after Atlanta outscored the injury-riddled Cowboys 22-0 in the final half:
"We knew coming in we had to stop three things - the running game, Julio (Jones) and Matt Ryan. We didn't stop any of them."
But it all starts with Ryan, who had neither a healthy Jones nor reliable running game for much of the past two seasons as Atlanta finished 4-12 in 2013 and 6-10 a year ago. Now he has both, as well as a coordinator who wants to move Ryan out of the pocket on occasion to spread the field and give the defense something to think about.
"I've watched Matt in college and over his whole career," Shanahan said recently. "He's always been good at throwing on the run. He's quick in the pocket, especially for how tall and lanky he is, and that's a good combination because he can see over the line of scrimmage, but he still has the athletic ability if he's in trouble to make a play."
No one makes it to the Super Bowl after three games. The Falcons must slog through 13 more regular-season contests, including a way to solve the riddle that has become the Carolina Panthers, who've won three of their last four meetings with Atlanta, including the last two in the Georgia Dome.
After that would come a seemingly tough playoff path to reach the Super Bowl for just the second time in franchise history.
Yet no less than Atlanta defensive back William Moore, he of the key interception in Sunday's second quarter against the Cowboys, believes these Falcons look a lot like those 2012 Falcs, who came within a single play in the NFC title game of reaching the Super Bowl.
"We've been here before," Moore said earlier this week. "We realize we are 3-0 and we're a great football team."
At the very least, they're off to the greatest start possible.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.