Ray Glier

Special for USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said Tuesday he is playing the best he has played in his nine-year career. He is not going to let the “noise” invade his thinking this week and interrupt his preparation as the Falcons prepare to play Seattle in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

You know the “noise” around Ryan. He is 1-5 in the playoffs with a 85.2 passer rating.

“What you have to anticipate and what you have to deal with is more noise, just maybe more attention than you get throughout the year,” Ryan said of the playoff cauldron outside the team’s facility. “You’ve just got to go about your business the same way we’ve gone about it all year and prepare really well and make sure that we’re doing the same things to put ourselves in good positions all year.

“Everybody’s got to deal with it however they deal with it.”

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Ryan, 30, was statistically the best quarterback in the NFL this season. His 117.1 passer rating is the fifth-highest all-time and he is a candidate for league MVP.

Ryan has thrown 38 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. The Falcons won the NFC South and are 11-5 because of Ryan. That is enough pressure without adding more pressure about what his legacy is shaping up to be.

Ryan gave a hint here Tuesday that he once thought about how his status as a quarterback was tied to playoff performance.

“One thing I have learned throughout my career is that you spend time worrying about that (status) you’re not spending time worrying about the things that are going to make a difference on Sunday,” he said. “I focus on getting myself prepared mentally and physically and making sure I am on top of the plan.”

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Is it all on Ryan on Saturday in the Georgia Dome? The Falcons are third in the NFL in passing offense, but their run game is not too shabby either, fifth in the NFL (120 yards per game). Does everything hinge on the quarterback in the quarterback-centric offense?

Maybe, but there is also some gravity to be associated with play-caller Kyle Shanahan, too. The Falcons do not just jump out of bed and declare there will be rhythm between Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones on the slant, or that there is going to be immediate harmony in the run game. Shanahan has to figure that out quickly.

“Kyle this year has done a great job, not only with myself, but seeing which guys are in rhythm,” Ryan said, “whether it be running the ball, running behind certain guys, moving the pocket, certain protections, getting the ball to certain receivers. I feel like he’s had a great pulse.

“He’s not only thinking about just me, he’s thinking about 15-20 guys throughout the course of the game and how we keep everybody in rhythm.”

Ryan’s only playoff win was 2012 against the Seahawks.

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