Getty Foye Oluokun #54 and Isaiah Oliver #26 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons have yet to win their first-ever Super Bowl.
They made their first appearance in 1998 but lost to John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Their second showing came 18 years later which also resulted in a loss, this time to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
This past season, the Falcons finished the season just 4-12 with no shot at the playoffs.
2021 doesn’t look too promising either, according to NFL.com writer Adam Schein who ranked
the Falcons towards the bottom in his latest piece on “Which franchise could win first Super Bowl in 2021 NFL season?”
The Falcons came in at No. 8, just below the Cincinnatti Bengals and just above NFC South rival Carolina Panthers:
In hiring Arthur Smith, the Falcons brought in a new head coach, a new play caller and a much-needed attitude changer. It’s not that hard to imagine Smith turning this thing around in a hurry. Despite last year’s 4-12 record, Atlanta isn’t devoid of talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Even without Julio Jones, I see the Falcons scoring a bunch of points in 2021. Matt Ryan is still plenty capable at age 36, and he hasn’t worked with an offensive mind this sharp since Kyle Shanahan back in 2016 — when the quarterback won MVP and nearly a Super Bowl. Calvin Ridley showcased his WR1 ability by excelling during Julio’s injury absence last season. No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts is a dynamic threat who’ll stress opposing defenses week in and week out.
Smith and the Falcons lured Dean Pees out of retirement to direct the defense — and the 71-year-old has his work cut out for him. Over the last three seasons, Atlanta has ranked 28th, 20th and 29th in total D. Outside of DT Grady Jarrett, the defense lacks juice up front. Meanwhile, the secondary is young and unproven. Pro Football Focus actually ranks it as the worst defensive backfield in the NFL heading into the 2021 campaign.
Basically, every Falcons game could be a fantasy goldmine, for players on both teams.
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New Coach Means a New System
Yes, Smith was able to drag Dean Pees out of retirement to join his staff as the team’s new defensive coordinator, but he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.
And he’s not concerned.
“We heard the same thing when we went to Tennessee, we have no pass rush,” Pees recently told 92.9 The Game. And yet we were a good 3rd down defense and got a lot of pressure. We need smart guys & we got smart guys. We’re going to come from everywhere every week, so hang on”
Pees plans on running every scheme imaginable, which will play out based upon the opposing offense. He also made it clear he plans to blitz––a lot. And that means more sacks.
The Falcons have some solid playmakers in Grady Jarrett, Dante Fowler, Deion Jones, and Foye Oluokun, but the rest are young or inexperienced. The good thing is that they have the offseason and preseason to catch on to the new defense, unlike last year when everyone was thrown into the ring of fire.
Teams Who Have Better Shot at Super a Bowl
12 teams across the league have yet to win a Super Bowl and Schein only ranked nine, leaving the others with absolutely no hope at a Lombardi Trophy.
1. Buffalo Bills
2. Cleveland Browns
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. Minnesota Vikings
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Carolina Panthers
The Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars were left unranked by Schein, which means the Falcons are not at the bottom of the totem pole after all, at least in his eyes.
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