Matt Ryan has great respect for Von Miller, Broncos defense

Matt Ryan certainly isn't oblivious to the fact that the Denver Broncos, led by linebacker Von Miller, possess arguably the league's top defense, particularly in terms of pressuring the quarterback and defending the pass.

Miller and crew are first in the league with 17 sacks and yield a league-low 169.5 passing yards. The Broncos have sacked opposing quarterbacks on 10 percent of their dropbacks, which is on pace to be the highest sack percentage for any defense in the last 10 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information. And they have pressured quarterbacks on 38 percent of dropbacks, on pace to be the highest pressure percentage in the last eight seasons.

Again, much of that has to do with the ability of the Super Bowl MVP, Miller.

“He's a great player; there's no getting around that,” Ryan said of Miller. “You certainly have to account for where he's at. But that's what we work on all week, to try and [build a] game plan so that we can fit the things that we do well to go against what they do well and their personnel.”

One would think the simplest way for Ryan to attack is by getting the ball to NFC Offensive Player of the Week Julio Jones, coming off a franchise record-setting 300 receiving yards against Carolina. It won't be that easy, even against a Broncos team that likes to play man-to-man coverage. The Broncos are able to play such a style because the defensive backs typically don't cover long because of the pressure up front.

When the Broncos played Cincinnati and A.J. Green in Week 3, Aqib Talib matched up one-on-one against Green outside to start the game and Chris Harris lined up on Green in the slot. Bradley Roby also went up against Green outside and had safety help over the top. One of the best plays Green had was a quick screen from Andy Dalton in the red zone in which he stutter-stepped, sent Talib to the ground and picked up 11 yards, setting up a touchdown. Green finished with eight catches (11 targets) for 77 yards and wasn't able to make plays deep down the field because of the pressure on Dalton and tight coverage from the defensive backs.

Expect Jones to draw the same type of attention, leaving it on the 10 other receivers who have caught passes to make plays and be sure-handed, and leaving it on Ryan to get the ball out quickly. Ryan enters the game with a 72.1-percent completion percentage to go with a league high 1,473 passing yards and passer rating of 126.3. He's thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I think it's a very good secondary, across the board,” Ryan said of the Broncos. ”I think their corners do a great job. They play a lot of man coverage. They trust their guys to be aggressive. I think they're instinctual. That's the one that I think when you see how many turnovers they've created (five interceptions, including a pick-six by Talib). ... So we're going to have to be really crisp, really sharp in our routes, very accurate when we throw it and make good decisions.

“But we've got some really good players, too. We've got some guys on the outside that are capable of doing those kinds of things.”

There's no doubt Jones will try to dominate no matter the defensive coverage, but it's not like he'll constantly scream for the ball.

“In all honestly, there's probably not a more unselfish superstar in the league than Julio,” Ryan said. “He cares about winning. He'll do whatever it takes to win. He does so many little things to help other guys. He's an awesome teammate.

“It's not trying to force-feed it to Julio. When the time is right and the situation and play call are right, we're absolutely going to be aggressive as we possibly can to get him the ball. And when it's not, we trust our other guys to make plays as well.”

As always, establishing the running game with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman -- provided Coleman is able to play his typical load while carrying the sickle-cell trait in the Denver altitude -- will be key in establishing what the Falcons want to do offensively, particularly in the play-action game. The Broncos, who yield 113.8 rushing yards per game, have respect for the Falcons' run game, with Miller calling Freeman “legendary” during a conference call.

The Falcons offense might have to have a legendary performance to beat the 4-0 Broncos in Denver.