QB Matt Ryan addressed the media in London on Wednesday as the Atlanta Falcons began preparation for Sunday's matchup against the Detroit Lions. And Ryan expressed optimism despite the team's 2-5 record and four-game losing streak.
"We're in a point in the season, with where we're at moving forward, we're going to have to win," Ryan said. "And we feel like we're going to have to start winning this week.
"With that said, in the division, there's reason to be optimistic. As bad and kind of as ugly as it's been the last couple of weeks, we're still right in the mix. And that's one of the reasons I think there's a lot of optimism and a lot of energy within our building. ... I think guys have the right mindset."
The Falcons are third in the NFC South behind the 3-3-1 Carolina Panthers and the 2-4 New Orleans Saints. The Falcons are 2-0 in division play.
But in order for the Falcons to generate any type of winning streak, Ryan and the offense have to get back on track. The Falcons had a season-low 254 total yards and scored just one touchdown in their 29-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Falcons had the league's top offense in terms of yardage the first four weeks of the season, but they've dropped to sixth in yards per game.
Against the Ravens, Ryan and the offense generated four plays of 20-plus yards. In two wins this season, the Falcons compiled 15 plays of 20-plus yards, including six plays of 35-plus yards.
"I think last week, really the first three quarters, we were kind of out of rhythm," Ryan said. "In getting the ball downfield, we've got to do a great job both running the football and pass protecting. I think both of those things kind of allow you to do some of your play-action and to take some more time in the pocket and throw it down the field a little bit more.
"We've also, when we've had opportunities with one-on-ones, and guys like Julio [Jones] and Devin [Hester] having some deeper routes on the outside, we've got to take chances at it. We're going to make the adjustments, certainly. It's a big part of what we've been here in the past, this kind of explosive offense. So we've got to find ways to create more explosive plays than we did last week."
It will be quite a task against the Lions' top-ranked defense, which surrenders just 290.3 total yards per game. DT Ndamukong Suh and the defensive front is sure to put extreme pressure on Ryan, who will be working with an undrafted rookie center, James Stone; an ailing rookie left tackle, Jake Matthews (ankle); a veteran left guard coming off a back injury, Justin Blalock; and a slumping right tackle, Gabe Carimi.
Ryan said Suh, DT Nick Fairley & Co. are among the premier defensive linemen in the league.
"We're going to have to be solid up front," Ryan said. "We really are. We're going to have to play well up front and have a good plan to account for where those guys are at."