Who else thinks the Atlanta Falcons are gearing to win the Super Bowl. Yes, that doesn’t sound like the most plausible occurrence. After all, teams that lose the Super Bowl in any given season do not make a comeback by winning it in the next season. But thinking about it makes the sports betting odds this season so much more exciting.
Besides, the Falcons wouldn’t be doing anything new. The Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl in 1973 and 1972 respectively after losing.
There’s no reason the Falcons can’t be the third team to achieve a similar feat. After all, everyone knows their penchant for scoring. The Falcons have a ridiculously strong offense team and all its pieces are returning for the season, so one can expect them to exceed the 33.8 points per game they averaged last year.
Of course, whenever teams begin to boast a powerful offense, they are forced to contend with a much weaker defense, and that might have been the case for the Falcons in times past but that is no longer true. It would be a mistake for anyone to sleep on their defense, not after what they did in the second half of the previous season.
It is easy to overlook Atlanta’s defensive unit, especially if all you have seen is the team’s stats for the first half of the previous season. The Falcons were definitely lagging behind, ranking in the 20s and 30s in everything from yards allowed to points allowed and first downs allowed.
If that is all you saw from the Falcons last season, then you are absolutely right to ignore them for the coming season.
However, if you stuck around until the second half of the season, then you saw the team undergo a drastic improvement. The playoffs alone were enough to show just how on point their defense had become; and because these improvements were only made in the last couple of games of the previous season, there is no telling just how much further the Falcons’ defensive unit still has to ascend.
All eyes will be on Vic Beasley to keep the defensive engine roaring. After his breakout 2016 campaign, Vic deserves the trust he currently enjoys, and so does Grady Jarrett who is remembered for his three sacks in the Super Bowl.
Anyone who thinks the Falcons might be unable to maintain their trajectory of defensive growth will be glad to see Linebacker Deion Jones return seeing as he led Atlanta in tackles.
Some of the anxiety rumbling among Falcons’ fans is understandable. Many a team has delivered an astounding performance one season only to see their efforts seemingly wash away in the following season.
Deion and his ilk need to at the very least reproduce their performances from last year if they are to keep the dreams of their fans alive. Fortunately, Deion will have Pro Bowl Corner Desmond Trufant to rely on.
Desmond has overcome his previous injuries and is ready to make up for his absence in 2016. If the Falcons are intelligent, they will bring some new blood in to augment their unit. The right picks could make all the difference for a defensive unit that is looking to exceed expectations.
28-3 lead…That defense?
Hope you are right but somehow I can’t trust the Falcons to string together btb SB’s. been in this town 19 yrs and needless to say I’ve never seen it
Nicely said, Moose and Bleed.
This was obviously a guest post.
But I love the fact that we’re keeping ’em honest.