Last season was a tale of two halves for the Atlanta Falcons. They started 5-0 and were considered one of the best teams in the NFL. However, things went downhill really fast; they went 3-8 during their last 11 games, and they became just the seventh team in NFL history to start 5-0 and not make the playoffs. The Falcons normally reliable quarterback, Matt Ryan, had his worst season since 2009, finishing with 20 turnovers and a quarterback rating of 89, which was his lowest since the 2009-2010 season.
Although the Falcons came up short down the stretch last year, they had plenty of positives to take away from the season. Julio Jones was fantastic as usual with 136 receptions for 1,800 yards. Also, the Falcons had a breakout star at the running back position in Devonta Freeman, who took the league by storm last year. Freeman became the first Falcons player to rush for over 1,000 yards since Michael Turner in the 2011-12 season.
Right now, as the NFL season is just around the corner, this is the question every Falcons’ fans is asking: Can they can finally fulfill their potential and become an elite team? The Falcons have had one of the best offseasons in the entire league, although they parted ways with longtime beloved player, Roddy White. His production had slipped significantly during the last couple years, but many fans were saddened by his departure. Dimitrov/Blank? more than made up for this, by adding veteran center Alex Mack, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, and defensive end Dwight Freeney. All of these players are significant upgrades over last year’s team.
The Falcons also had a good draft, players Keanu Neal and Deion Jones will look to make an immediate impact this upcoming season. Neal, in particular fills a big hole that the Falcons had last year, Safety. Last year the Falcons were repeatedly burned by the opposing receivers who took advantage of our inexperienced secondary. The Falcons secondary performance will be one of the determining factors for this season. The secondary should be helped by star corner Desmond Trufant, the Washington product has quickly established himself as one of the best corners in the entire league. He was even selected to the Pro Bowl last year. If he can continue to perform at a high level, it may take the pressure off the other less experienced defensive players.
The Falcons enter this season with 40-1 Super Bowl odds. That is right around the middle of the pack, however if the falcons are able to replicate their first half of last season, while getting good performances from their free agent signings, you can expect to see the Falcons in the postseason.
