The NFL's 5 Best Deep-Ball Quarterbacks From 2016

2. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Passing NEP per Attempt: 1.04 | Success Rate: 57.73%

If we had sorted this list by each player's Success Rate on deep passes, Matt Ryan would have dusted the field. Let's try to grant some perspective into just how good he was there.

As you can see above, Ryan's Success Rate was 57.73%. The league average on deep passes was 41.25%, meaning he was more than 16 percentage points above the average passer. Bananas.

The second best Success Rate on deep passes was 52.34% by Andrew Luck, 5.39 percentage points lower than Ryan's. That's larger than the gap between Luck and 10th-place Kirk Cousins.

What makes Ryan look even more ridiculous is when you compare his Success Rate on deep passes to others on short passes.

The league-average Success Rate on passes shorter than 16 yards downfield was 51.77%, a good step above the mark of 41.25% on long passes, but it was still below the benchmark Ryan set. In fact, Ryan's Success Rate on long passes would have been the fourth-best mark on short passes, with one of the three ahead of his own short Success Rate. It's easy to see why this guy was the MVP.

When Ryan went deep, there was a good chance he was looking for Julio Jones. Jones had 46 targets, accounting for a whopping 47.42% target market share. No other player on the team had more than 13 deep targets. Ryan made sure his high-leverage throws were going to his best target, and it paid off beautifully with a trip to the Super Bowl.

That said, Ryan still didn't lead the league in Passing NEP per attempt on deep passes despite his grotesque Success Rate. Who did, then? It might be best for Falcons fans to look away while the good vibes are still flowing.