Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan won the MVP award in 2016, but Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report still names him as an under-the-radar candidate for MVP again this year.
Most people look at how the Falcons performed in 2018 and assume that he had a bad season, but that actually wasn't the case. Last year Ryan finished in the top four in passer rating, completion percentage, and touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Falcons finished with a 7-9 record but most of that wasn't his fault, as the 11-year veteran still took a ton of heat because of the position he plays.
As Gagnon points out, things should be even better this year because of Ryan's wide receivers and he has Dirk Koetter back as offensive coordinator.
Ryan's still got Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu, emerging 2018 first-round receiver Calvin Ridley and an offensive line that looks stronger after an offseason retool. Rounding things out, the familiar Dirk Koetter (Ryan's offensive coordinator in Atlanta during two of his Pro Bowl years) has been hired to replace Sarkisian.
Under those circumstances, there's no reason Ryan can't get hot and pull off another 2016.
Matt Ryan should be able to put up great stats again this year, especially with Koetter calling plays again, but if he wants to win MVP again this year, it all is going to come down to the Falcons' record.
If this is a team that finishes first place in a very tough NFC South, there is certainly a good chance that Ryan could win another MVP award.
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