Matt Ryan Favored to Record Most Passing Yards on Thanksgiving Thursday

• Matt Ryan enters Week 12 with 300-yard performances in four of his five outings
• The 2016 NFL MVP is on pace to toss for over 5,200 yards this season
• Brees has topped 300 passing yards in four of his five home dates this season

Matt Ryan saw a stretch of four straight outings with over 300 passing yards come to a halt in Atlanta Falcons’ 22-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.

The 33-year-old pivot was forced to settle for a very respectable 291 aerial yards in his team’s defeat as 3.5-point home chalk. But Ryan is expected to maintain his league-leading form when he leads the Falcons into action against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday as the favorite to lead all NFL quarterbacks in passing yards on Thursday, sporting +135 odds.

Thanksgiving Thursday Passing Yards Odds

Ryan on Pace to Establish Career Highs

Ryan garnered NFL MVP honors while leading the Falcons to a Super Bowl in 2016, tossing for a career-high 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns before taking a step back last season, racking up just 4,095 yards and 20 scores.

Matt Ryan posts 50th career 300-yard passing game https://t.co/5k8zR8H5YU

— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) November 4, 2018

However, the former Boston College star has emerged as one of the few bright lights on a struggling Atlanta squad this season. Ryan is currently on pace to throw for over 5,200 yards this season after topping 330 yards per game in six of 10 outings to date, and has connected on an impressive 71.1% of his pass attempts.

Falcons Passer has Impressed on the Road, and Under the Lid

Ryan’s odds are strengthened by his recent solid performances on the road. The Falcons pivot has averaged 340 passing yards over his past two road appearances, including a spectacular 350-yard, four-touchdown performance in Atlanta’s 38-14 rout of the Washington Redskins three weeks ago as a 1.5-point road underdog.

The four-time Pro Bowl passer has saved his best outings of the season for the climate-controlled conditions of the Georgia Dome, topping 350 yards in six outings, including a 374-year, five-TD performance in a heartbreaking 43-37 overtime loss to the visiting Saints in Week 3.

What #Falcons QB Matt Ryan had to say about the #Saints https://t.co/X1eK3Y029v

— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) November 20, 2018

Ryan has been consistently solid in 10 career visits to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, albeit usually under losing circumstances. Ryan has averaged over 306 passing yards per game in 10 career road dates with the Saints, but has managed to lead the Falcons to just three outright victories during that stretch.

Saints Tightening Up Shaky Pass Defence

While Ryan has averaged just 267.5 passing yards over his past two visits to the Big Easy, capped by a 23-13 loss to the Saints on Christmas Eve last year, the Falcons will be up against a New Orleans pass defence that is ranked a distant 27th in the NFL after surrendering 280 passing yards per game through 10 games.

The Saints defence has tightened things up over the squads past two contests. New Orleans limited Philadelphia to a meagre 138 aerial yards in a 48-7 thrashing of the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles last weekend after restricting the Cincinnati Bengals to just 174 passing yards two weeks ago.

Brees a Dominant Force in Dates at the Superdome

With the Saints finding a high-gear during their nine-game SU win streak, which also features an 8-0 ATS run, it remains impossible to ignore New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who closely trails Ryan as a +145 bet to lead all pivots in passing yards on Thanksgiving Thursday.

Brees has topped 340 passing yards on five occasions in 2018, including four of five outings at the Superdome

The future Hall-of-Famer sits among the leaders in most passing stats this season, and has topped 340 passing yards on five occasions, including four of five outings at the Superdome. The 39-year-old racked up just 239 passing yards in the Saints win over Atlanta last December, but topped 300 yards in seven of his previous home meetings with the Falcons, who rank 29th in the NFL against the pass.

Thanksgiving Thursday Quarterback Statistical Comparison

Stafford Leading Middle of the Pack on the Odds

Further down the odds to rack up the most passing yards on Thanksgiving Day, Matthew Stafford is pegged as a +600 wager ahead of the Detroit Lions home date with the Chicago Bears.

With Bears pivot Mitch Trubisky looking doubtful for Thursday’s date in the Motor City, Chase Daniel is expected to get the call, making the Chicago duo a +700 wager. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott follows at +900, while Colt McCoy is pegged as a +1000 longshot ahead of his first start under center for the Washington Redskins.