Falcons 'Stuck' in Mediocre Middle, ESPN Says

The Atlanta Falcons won eight games in 2024, which marked the first time they've eclipsed seven wins since 2017.

But Atlanta again finished under .500 and missed the postseason, marking seven consecutive years without accomplishing either feat. The Falcons are tied with the Carolina Panthers for the second-longest active playoff drought in the NFL.

For those reasons -- and several others -- ESPN placed Atlanta as a team "stuck in the middle" but one or two moves away from contending in its recent team-tier list.

"Atlanta has been stuck in the middle for years, but there's reason for optimism," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. "Michael Penix Jr. is the closest thing to a long-term quarterback solution the team has had since Matt Ryan. A big decision looms with Kirk Cousins, whose $27.5 million base salary is guaranteed.

"Atlanta has a chance to swing a trade, admit the mistake and move on."

The Falcons landed in the sixth tier out of 11 possible categories. They were joined by the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers.

Atlanta has pieces to break through the glass ceiling. Penix had a promising three-game stretch to close his rookie season, and he's surrounded by a wealth of playmakers in running back Bijan Robinson and receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney.

Offense, however, isn't the Falcons' most pressing concern.

"The bigger issues lie on defense," Fowler wrote. "The Falcons must get better in the pass rush and other levels of the defensive back seven. Reworking veteran contracts such as Grady Jarrett, Kaleb McGary and Jake Matthews can alleviate the cap."

Atlanta finished the season No. 15 in run defense (120.6 yards allowed per game), No. 22 in pass defense (224.5 yards allowed per game), No. 23 in total defense (345.2 yards allowed per game) and No. 23 in scoring (24.9 points per game).

The Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake on Jan. 11, replacing him with former New York Jets interim head coach and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich one week later.

Coaching aside, Atlanta's defense could look quite different in 2025. The Falcons have several defensive linemen and defensive backs poised to enter free agency, including starters in cornerback Mike Hughes, safety Justin Simmons and outside linebacker Matthew Judon.

Can the new-look unit get the Falcons better results? Perhaps more importantly, can it free Atlanta from the sticky middle?

Only time will tell.