Here's what Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had to say after the 24-12 win over the Jaguars on Sunday:
On scoring on the opening drive: "I thought it was a really good first drive for us. Great run by Devonta [Freeman], great blocking for that first touchdown, but then to create the turnover on the kickoff and go capitalize and go up 14-0 early in the game, it's a great way to start. You can't really start any better than that."
On Julio Jones being the fastest receiver to reach 12,000 career yards: "It's pretty amazing for Julio (Jones), to be the fastest to ever get to 12,000 yards. I think it speaks to what kind of player he's been for his career. He's been unbelievable. There's no better teammate, honestly. There's nobody that works harder day in and day out. He's loyal. He's a good leader for us, and I'm happy for him. He's one of the best to ever do it in this sport and his production shows that. It was special to be a part of that and to be part of his career. I'm happy for him."
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On whether or not targeting Julio Jones 15 times today was part of the game plan or a result of the coverage: "Definitely part of the game plan and definitely where the coverage took us. When we get chances with one-on-one opportunities, we're going to go his way. He made a lot of really contested, tough catches today. I mean, there was a lot of contact that he had to play through, so I thought he played extremely well."
On what he would tell his children about this season if they were to ask him 10 years from now: "It's a tale of two halves of the season. Sometimes that's professional sports and sports in general. Obviously, the first half was not what we wanted. In this league, the margin for error is small, and that's probably what I would say. I mean, the difference between being in the mix with a handful of games going differently in the first half and playing to get into the playoffs at this time, it's not much, but you have to be on the right side of it because there are so many good teams and good players in this league. That would kind of be my message to them."
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