Good morning. This is Leadoff, the early buzz in Atlanta sports.
Two weeks ago, an ESPN panel ranked Matt Ryan fourth among candidates for the NFL's MVP award. Last week, the panel ranked him second.
This week, it ranks the Falcons quarterback first.
"Whether it took our panel longer than it should have taken to buy into Ryan's candidacy or whether his sustained brilliance over a full 16 weeks finally pushed him over the top," Dan Graziano writes on ESPN.com, "he finishes as our winner — surging ahead of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady."
Ryan got first-place votes from seven of ESPN’s 13 panelists. Brady and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got three first-place votes each. Ryan, who also drew five second-place votes, finished with 58 points from ESPN’s panel, Brady with 45 and Rodgers with 44.
A poll of CBSSports.com's NFL writers reached the same conclusion this week, with four of the five writers voting Ryan No. 1 among MVP candidates.
The MVP and other award winners will be announced Feb. 4, the night before the Super Bowl, during the “NFL Honors” show on Fox.
In the franchise’s 51-year history, the Falcons have never had a player named MVP, the league’s top individual honor.
And don't miss our Mark Bradley's column on how Ryan just had his breakthrough year at age 31.
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Here's an article on FoxSports.com headlined: "3 reasons why the Atlanta Falcons will win Super Bowl LI."
The reasons, according to the article, are that the Falcons have the best offense in the NFL, have “the X-factor they were missing” in Vic Beasley and have”a coach who takes risks.”
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