Watch: Matt Ryan Still has Time this Season to Move up Some Career Quarterback Lists

The Atlanta Falcons may only be playing for pride in their final two games but Matt Ryan still has career milestones in his sights.

Matt Ryan will be closing out the twelfth season of his NFL career after The Falcons Week 17 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he’s been a dominant force as a passer in the NFL that entire time. Because of that, he’s climbing into some elite company in NFL all-time passer categories. Even with only two games remaining in the 2019 season, he has more rungs on the ladder that can be climbed. Keep your eye on Matt Ryan in the following categories as the Falcons close things out.

On the passer rating career list, Ryan is eleventh at 94.7. Just ahead of him is Philip Rivers at 95.2. Strong passing games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and to closeout the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should lift him into the top ten all-time heading into 2020.

Ryan is currently sixth on the NFL passing yards per game leaderboard with 270.0. If he averages 330 passing yards per game in his final two games, he’ll be at 270.6 and will pass Peyton Manning who averaged 270.5 passing yards per game in his career.

On the career leaders list for fourth-quarter comebacks, Ryan is tied for eighth on the list with Fran Tarkenton and Vinny Testaverde with 29. That puts him two behind Ben Roethlisberger and John Elway, who are tied for the sixth spot with 31. It’s farfetched to believe that Ryan will climb the next step on this list with only two games remaining in 2019 but look for him to roll into sixth position all alone in 2020.

As for game-winning drives, Ryan pulled out of a tie with Eli Manning and into a tie with Johnny Unitas for eighth with 38 on the career list after last week’s stunner against the San Francisco 49ers. Ryan’s next step on the career ladder will be John Elway, who is in seventh place with 40. If Ryan maintains his current pace, he’ll surpass that career milestone next season.

These four milestones are well within reach for Ryan to accomplish. He’ll only be 35-years old in May which means he should have at least two more seasons at the top of his game to improve his place on the NFL’s career quarterbacks list. The Falcons have disappointed in 2019 but Matt Ryan keeps climbing up the rankings of elite passers.