Matt Ryan has actually outplayed Aaron Rodgers lately

— -- Aaron Rodgers has recaptured the imagination of the football world with an eight-game run for the ages. After predicting that his Green Bay Packers could "run the table" following a 4-6 start, Rodgers has elevated his game to heights rarely seen in NFL history. He has produced gasp-inducing throws and eye-popping pocket presence to lead his team to the NFC Championship Game.

With that said, can I share a little secret?

There is another NFL quarterback who has matched Rodgers throw for throw, from a statistical perspective, during that span. In some regards, the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan -- the presumptive league MVP and Green Bay's opponent Sunday -- might actually have performed better than Rodgers.

Let's take a closer look at the numbers, derived with help from research by ESPN Stats & Information senior statistics analyst Jacob Nitzberg, since the Packers' winning streak began in Week 12.

First, the basics.

exercise isn't to relegate Rodgers' performance, nor is it to exaggerate Ryan's. It's to note and document that, during the past two months, we've seen not one historic quarterback performance -- we've seen two.