NFC South Report: Can the Falcons dethrone the Saints in 2020?
Winning the NFC South title for three consecutive years hasn't been an easy task for the New Orleans Saints. NFL oddsmakers are still favoring the Saints at 10.5 wins. Their odds dwindled since the arrival of six-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady, to the NFC South this offseason with the Buccaneers. Today, our attention will focus on the Saints' most hated rival in all of football, the Atlanta Falcons. I solicited help from Falcons Reporter and Frenemy (Friends & Enemies), Jeremy Johnson reporter at the Falcon Report. Jeremy will give us his Pros and Cons to why the Falcons can dethrone the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.
PROS
Top 5 Key Players for the Falcons
- QB Matt Ryan
- WR Julio Jones
- RB Todd Gurley
- WR Calvin Ridley
- LB Dante Fowler, Jr.
EXPERIENCE
The Falcons core group on offense has played a lot of football together. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Alex Mack, Jake Matthews, have been on the team for the last four seasons. But with their experience, it means almost everything except a championship. The team has played in a Super Bowl, won road playoff games, and been through bad seasons. Their leadership is the key.
POSITION SPOTLIGHT
Atlanta's secondary will improve with the development of third-year CB Isaiah Oliver and the addition of first-round pick A.J. Terrell. S Keanu Neal will return at some point this season after suffering a torn Achilles last season and a torn ACL in 2018.
INTANGIBLE(S)
The Falcons should have a sense of urgency. Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff’s jobs came under question after the 1-7 start to last season. The organization retained both after a hot second half of the season in which they finished 6-2 over the last eight games after coaching staff shuffling.
Credit: TeamRankings.com
Cons
EXPERIENCE
Matt Ryan is 35-years-old and not overly mobile, Jones is 31-years-old, Matthews is 28-years-old, and Mack is 34-years-old. The Falcons have a few banged up parts and pieces to their 2020 roster with the addition of RB Todd Gurley and rehabilitation of Keanu Neal. Their experience is good until it breaks down.
POSITION SPOTLIGHT
The Falcons have questions at linebacker. LB Deion Jones is penciled in, but LB De’Vondre Campbell is now in Arizona. So far, the only new addition to the spot is fourth-round draft selection, LB Mykal Walker. LB Foye Oluokun figures to be involved somewhere in the Falcons’ linebacker equation.
INTANGIBLE(S)
The Schedule is difficult. The Falcons’ 2020 schedule is a hard river to row. Based on last year’s win percentages, it’s the most difficult in the NFL. A slow start would likely doom the 2020 Falcons.
THE ODDS
Vegas remain high on the New Orleans Saints in 2020 to capture a fourth-straight NFC South title. The current odds are (-105) and the Falcons are (+850).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Atlanta's offense and defense still remains a mystery because of their lack of continuity in 2019. QB Matt Ryan was able to locate his offensive weapons last season by averaging 379.7 yards/game. However, those numbers did not translate touchdowns. The Falcons redzone success was only 51.67% for 25th in the NFL. Another concern in 2019 was Atlanta's 42% conversion on 3rd down plays. With players like WR Julio Jones and WR Calvin Ridley, this was a surprise for a once potent offense. Their defense needs to step-up after allowing 24.9 points/game for 22nd in the league. In 2020, if the Falcons do not have a fast-start to winning, the second-half of the season will be brutal. They will face the Saints and Bucs twice, along with the Super Bowl 54 champions, Chiefs. Losing 3 or those 5 games could be problematic for the Falcons' chances of reaching the playoffs.
My Projection: The Falcons will be 8-8 and 3rd place in NFC South.
A special thanks to Falcon Report writer, Jeremy Johnson (@Clark_Kent_75), for his contributions in this NFC Report.
