Matt Ryan and the Falcons made a strong first half stick with their pulsating, one-point win over the Packers on Sunday. Ryan has emerged as a top-tier MVP candidate, leading the league in passing yards (2,636) and passing touchdowns (19), while ranking second in passer rating (115.8) and yards per attempt (9.45) -- behind only Tom Brady in both of the latter categories. Ryan and Kyle Shanahan are on the same page in their second year together. In fact, I have Shanahan as my early choice for coordinator of the year, with the way he has established the run and won games when the defense has rolled extra coverage over to the great Julio Jones.