Falcons Receive Encouraging Outlook in Race to End Playoff Drought

The last decade has not been kind to the Atlanta Falcons. Can 2026 be the year that turns their fortunes around?

The franchise has spent the last eight seasons with a losing record and sitting at home during the postseason after flaming out down the stretch of the regular season. Their playoff woes are surpassed only by the New York Jets (15 years).

But they have been close to snapping that streak on several occasions.

From 2022 to 2024, the Falcons took their postseason chances right up to the very end, but their runs ended in either unrealistic hopes (2021) or back-breaking losing streaks (2022-23). Then, despite being eliminated in Week 14 last year, their 2025 season felt eerily similar, and the Falcons finished in an excruciating three-way tie for the top spot in the NFC South.

The last few years have been tough, and Kevin Stefanski will become the fourth head coach to try to snap the Falcons out of the streak. The NFC South is within reach again, and there is hope they can finally get it done. NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman thinks they have a good shot.

Bergman ranked the teams in the midst of the league’s longest droughts, listing the Falcons second behind only the Saints and just ahead of the Colts. He cited the offensive weapons and their .465 strength of schedule (which is deceptively listed as the league’s 28th easiest).

As for New Orleans, he referenced their outstanding finish to the season after going 2-10. The then-rookie head coach, Kellen Moore, led his team to wins in four of their last five. Bergman is a big believer in Tyler Shough and his new weapons added this offseason, the continuity in the coaching staff compared to the Falcons, and the positive momentum.

The Falcons and Saints had comparable defenses last season, both finishing in the top half of the league in EPA/play and EPA/pass allowed. The Saints surpass them in run defense, but the Falcons make up for it with a better pass rush.

As for this season, both will need to withstand their fair share of departures.

Additionally, referring to Moore as an advantage over the Falcons' Stefanski is curious. He is a new head coach in Atlanta, yes, but he is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year and has reached the playoffs twice. Moore cannot claim any of that.

Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts lead what should be a more formidable arsenal of Falcons compared to an aging Alvin Kamara splitting carries with Travis Etienne, Chris Olave, and Jordan Tyson. If Jahan Dotson, Zachariah Branch, Austin Hooper, Brian Robinson Jr., and Olamide Zaccheaus can elevate the floor, as Ian Cunningham intended, then the Falcons should boast a much deeper skill group with a higher ceiling.

The quarterback position remains a major worry for the Falcons. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will duke it out this summer once the latter returns to full health, but both have had their share of troubles under center. Shough, who will likely be emboldened by his strong finish to his rookie season, will look to avoid a sophomore slump of his own – but that is far from certain.

In reality, neither franchise is sure to snap their playoff droughts this season, but the Falcons should not be lumped behind the Saints, a team still looking to show that last season's late surge was more than just a brief spark.

While the Falcons still have questions to answer at quarterback and plenty of uncertainty to address, they enter training camp with one of the league's most talented skill-position groups and a more proven head coach.

Those traits certainly won’t guarantee them a playoff berth, but they do make it difficult to justify ranking them behind the Saints.

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