Matt Ryan ranked No. 2 behind Patrick Mahomes in 40+ air yard attempts

Matt Ryan doesn’t have the strongest arm in the NFL, yet he is one of the league’s most prolific quarterbacks when it comes to heaving the ball downfield. In fact, Ryan ranks first in yards per attempt over the past five seasons. So, it should come as no surprise that Ryan aired it out quite a bit last season.

In fact, only Chiefs quarterback and league MVP Patrick Mahomes had more pass attempts that went at least 40 yards in the air, according to NFL Network’s Michael Florio. Ryan had 16 attempts of at least 40 yards, while Mahomes led the NFL with 19 attempts last season.

QBs with the most pass attempts of at least 40 air yards:
1. Patrick Mahomes, 19
2. Matt Ryan, 16
T3. Josh Allen, 14 (👀 @DBro_FFB)
T3. Kirk Cousins, 14
5. Deshaun Watson, 13
6. Jameis Winston, 12

— Michael Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) June 1, 2019

 

Rounding out the top five were Bills rookie Josh Allen (14 attempts), Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (14 attempts) and Texans QB Deshaun Watson (13 attempts).

Atlanta swapped out offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian for former Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter in the offseason. We will see what kind of effect Koetter has on Ryan’s deep ball numbers in 2019.