Atlanta Falcons Power Rankings: One Last Drop, Two Final Fumbles
The Atlanta Falcons ended their season with a 30-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints, in a game where the Falcons' run defense was suspect and offense lackluster at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Running back Mike Davis, who fumbled twice in the defeat, summed it up on his Twitter.
"When I say this sh*t hurt. It really hurt," wrote Davis "All I wanted to do was put on for my family and city and had the worst year of my life. My teammates it hurt man cause I let y’all down. I messed up too much this year."
Bad news: With the loss to the rival, the Falcons finished with a 7-10 record - only one win coming at home.
Around the NFL, the final week in the regular season proved to be another exciting dose of football with two fortunate teams - the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers - earning a first-round bye by virtue of finishing as No. 1 in their respective conferences.
Following coach Arthur Smith's first season, where do the Falcons stack up in Sports Illustrated's Postseason Power Rankings? After Sunday's defeat, Atlanta finishes No. 24.
Arthur Smith’s squad hung around the fringes of the NFC’s playoff picture for much of the season, but was never really a serious contender. Their minus-146 point differential was second-worst in the conference.
Good news: The loss improved the Falcons' 2022 NFL draft position. There are plenty of position groups for Atlanta to consider with the No. 8th overall selection. A possible scenario is bolstering the Falcons' pass rush. Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux (+115 odds to go No. 1 overall) and Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson lead the pack of draftable edge rushers in 2022.
Plenty of questions surround Atlanta this offseason; including the futures of quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Cordarrelle Patterson. As the franchise decides where to go and what to do next, Atlanta hopes next season is a winning one.
