Ryan made his first playoff start in the against the Arizona Cardinals on January 3, 2009. He was 15 years younger than opposing quarterback Kurt Warner, the third-largest age discrepancy between playoff quarterbacks. His first attempted playoff pass was an interception. Ryan completed 26 of 40 passing attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice. He threw his first touchdown in a playoff contest to Justin Peelle. Atlanta lost, 30–24. Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith and Ryan became the first rookie head coach and rookie quarterback to coach and compete in a playoff game since the Cleveland Rams accomplished the feat with coach Adam Walsh and quarterback Bob Waterfield in 1945 (the feat was repeated the next day when Ravens Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh did so.) During the game, Ryan set an NFL playoff rookie record with 26 completions in a single postseason game.