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Ryan will join NFL's elite QBs with victory in NFC title game

Brett Davis / USA TODAY Sports

Matt Ryan established himself as the best quarterback in the history of the Atlanta Falcons long ago, but has never received the respect and accolades he deserved until this season.

Although Ryan's been named to the Pro Bowl four times during his nine-year career, he's seldom mentioned among the NFL's elite quarterbacks.

After posting the best campaign of his professional tenure, Ryan is considered the presumptive MVP favorite, and with a victory over the Green Bay Packers, the 31-year-old should be ranked among the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

Atlanta boasted the top-scoring offense in the NFL in 2016, averaging an eye-popping 33.8 points per game, in large part due to Ryan's masterful command of the unit. Ryan completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions, all career-best totals as the Falcons glided to an 11-5 record and the NFC's No. 2 seed. Although Ryan was criticized for throwing ill-timed interceptions in 2015, he has rounded out his game to make him one of the NFL's most formidable offensive weapons.

Ryan's detractors will argue that he benefits from playing with Julio Jones, one of the NFL's premier wide receivers. The duo share a symbiotic relationship, however, and Ryan's pinpoint accuracy allows the All-Pro wide receiver to make the most out of his tremendous arsenal. Jones would be coveted by any quarterback, and Ryan's innate ability to put him in a place to succeed ought to be commended, as the Falcons look for their first Super Bowl victory.

Jones would be a star anywhere, but Ryan's elevated a rather nondescript group otherwise to new heights. Taylor Gabriel, released by the lowly Cleveland Browns prior to the season, turned into a dangerous weapon in the open field under Ryan's watch. Mohamed Sanu, Aldrick Robinson, and Austin Hooper thrived in four wide receiver sets, and Ryan picked apart the NFL's defenses, working with Jones and a motley crew.

The remaining playoff field boasts three certain Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Ryan's yet to cultivate that level of sustained success, but he's in the midst of one of the best individual seasons of all-time, one that could be punctuated with a Super Bowl appearance. It's hard to name five quarterbacks better than Ryan right now, in an era where quarterback depth is at an all-time high, and the 31-year-old stands to be on the triumphant side of history with a victory over the Rodgers-led Packers.

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