One of the quarterbacks in Charlotte today is an MVP. The other one is playing like one.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is making a strong case to be named the league’s most valuable player, putting the Falcons up 20-3 in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to tight end D.J. Tialavea.
That made Tialavea the 10th different Falcon to catch a pass today, as Ryan continues to spread the ball around masterfully. He’s 16-of-19 for 176 yards and two touchdowns already.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, on the other hand, is struggling. He’s 6-of-17 for 58 yards and an interception at the moment, continuing a second half of the season trend. Whether it’s the lingering effects of the beating he’s taken this year or simply regressing, he’s not the same player as a year ago.
The only good news for the Panthers has been Greg Olsen catching a 17-yard pass in the second quarter. That put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the third season in a row, the only tight end in NFL history to do that.
