ATLANTA FALCONS
2017 Offense: 8th Overall (9th Passing, 10th Running, 15th Scoring, 4th YPP)
2017 Defense: 9th overall (12th passing, 8th Running, 12th Scoring, 14th YPP)
2018 Outlook:
OFFENSE: After finishing 1st Overall in 2016, the Falcons offense failed to finish in the top 5, despite having perhaps the best offensive personnel in the league. Steve Sarkisian’s playcalling has cost the Falcons several games, including the Divisional round at Philly.
Matt Ryan is one of the most interesting players to study, because during the same drive he can look like a first ballot HOF QB, and, a few plays later make a bonehead mistake, or be late with a throw and just leave you scratching your head.
The Devonta Freeman-Tevin Coleman duo at RB is about as dynamic and as potent a tandem in the entire league.
Drafting Calvin Ridley gives Matt Ryan perhaps the best WR trio in the NFL. Julio Jones would probably be picked by most GMs as the best WR in the game, despite the fact that he is not a big scorer, seems to get nicked up quite a bit, and flat out misses a good amount of plays. Austin Hooper is below average at TE, and the Offensive Line is a veteran, cohesive group that is a top 5 unit.
Overall, Atlanta has the pieces in place to be a top 3 offense, along with New Orleans and New England.
DEFENSE: The Falcons jumped from 27th overall in 2016 to 9th overall in 2017, largely in part to their draft picks developing and playing very well in this Seattle, 4-3 Under/cover 3 type scheme.
Guys like Grady Jarrett, Vic Beasley (even though he regressed some last year), Deion Jones, DeVondre Campbell, Robert Alford, Keanu Neal and Desmond Trufant may not be household names, but they all play very well within this scheme, and possess the one thing you can’t teach: speed.
Dan Quinn’s defense is predicated on speed, and the Falcons, may not be the most stout defense (they actually got pushed around against Philly pretty good), but they are one of the fastest units in the NFL.
With and elite offense and a more than adequate defense, the Falcons are a legitimate 10+ wins, division winner and SB contender, as long as Steve Sarkisian’s play calling improves drastically. I think their roster is a little more complete, a little more balanced and less flawed than the Saints, even though everyone seems to be crowning the Saints as the NFC South champs.
The Falcons roster is largely based on their impressive drafts, and thus the Falcons are here to stay. They very rarely spend big money in free agency and are generally in good shape salary cap wise.