Atlanta Falcons
Record: 8-9 (Second in the NFC South)
Coach: Raheem Morris
Twenty eight to three. Say these four words to anyone from the Atlanta area and they will undoubtedly cringe. Say those same two numbers to pretty much anyone else and it will elicit abundant laughter. That scoreline has haunted the state of Georgia for the last 8 years. Like a cloud hanging over Mercedes-Benz Stadium every season has been overshadowed by that terrible loss. This year was supposed to be the year where the clouds parted and sun rained down on fans and players alike. Second year coach Raheem Morris was expected to take the team to the next level, after signing QB Kirk Cousins and drafting QB Michael Penix. The team also traded for pass rusher Matthew Judon and acquired WR Darnell Mooney.
Expectations in the preseason were high. The NFC South looked to be a cake walk, with the only real competition being the Buccaneers. That competition quickly became much softer as the Bucs were riddled with injuries to major contributors including Star receiver Chris Godwin. However as the season dragged on in the ATL it became very apparent that the Falcons biggest threat was themselves. The Dirty Birds struggled to find consistency at any point this year. The Falcons longest winning streak this season was three games. After this stretch the team went 4-7.
Rough doesn’t even begin to describe it. In the beginning of the season Superstar running back Bijan Robinson struggled to get going but QB Kirk Cousins looked like he was worth every penny. The back half of the year was the complete opposite. Bijan looked unstoppable and Kirk was benched after a pathetic stretch of games for Michael Penix. There were positives to this season. Drake London had a breakout season, Penix showed out in his three games started, and Jessie Bates III still looks like the best safety in the league. That is pretty much where the positives end. The defense was a mess in general allowing the 10th most yards per game and the 10th most points allowed per game. Seeing as Raheem Morris was supposed to be a defensive guru this is an atrocious showing. The team has talent on that side of the ball, with Bates, S Justin Simmons, and CB AJ Terrell. Yet it seems this unit just can not put it together. So what now.
Well seeing as Morris has at least one more year to prove himself the coaching situation seems to be in order. So the Falcons now look toward resigning players. The key guys include Justin Simmons, Matt Judon, and C Drew Dalman. The front office has minimal funds to work with. This means that if the Falcons want to keep some of these guys around, which they definitely should, they will most likely not be able to sign any big free agents.
That means Atlanta will have to add to their roster primarily through the draft. Luckily for the Falcons faithful they landed a pick inside the top 15, albeit the bottom of that group. This means that the Falcons should be able to acquire help for their biggest need, edge rusher. There should be multiple pass rushers in play for the Falcons front office including Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton and Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams. They could also look to add an interior lineman like Michigan DI Kenneth Grant. They can look toward later in the draft to get some help at linebacker and corner with players like Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman and Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston.
The Falcons always seem a few moves away from being a playoff team. This is true now more than ever, but it has become clear that the thing that stands in the Falcons way is mostly themself. If they can find a way to play more consistently throughout the season and get some pieces to sure up the defense then Atlanta should find themselves with another opportunity to win the NFC South and perhaps achieve even more.
