NFL

Matt Ryan was named the league’s MVP yesterday. Why that might be bad news for the Falcons tonight.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan celebrates after winning the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. David Goldman / AP

By Nik DeCosta-Klipa

1 minute to read

After leading the Atlanta Falcons to an 11-5 record and their first Super Bowl berth since 1998, quarterback Matt Ryan was named league MVP for the 2016 regular season Saturday.

It was the first time Ryan, a Boston College alumnus now in his ninth NFL season, had won the award. Patriots quarterback and Super Bowl opponent Tom Brady finished a distant second.

And yet, on the eve of the Super Bowl, the award is not necessarily a very good omen for Ryan and the Falcons. Of the last seven league MVPs to play in the Super Bowl, exactly zero have emerged victorious with the Lombardi Trophy.

Advertisement:

Or as ESPN reporter Don Van Natta put it:

Of the six quarterbacks in that group, the stats have exactly been MVP-esque, combining for six touchdown passes, 11 interceptions, and an average quarterback rating of 71.2.