In a snowy Buffalo January game, the Falcons were massive betting underdogs against the Bills with playoff implications for both squads. Atlanta led at the midway point but would ultimately fall to the superior Josh Allen-led Bills. The loss officially eliminated the Falcons from playoff contention, but it was nice to watch Falcons games in December and January that impact the postseason.
The Falcons will finish the 2021 season with at least three more wins under the new regime than in the final year of the old one. There were bright moments. The emergence of A.J. Terrell, Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Lindstrom, and Kyle Pitts should make Falcons fans hopeful for the future; it gives Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith an excellent base to build this franchise around. There will be difficult decisions to be made regarding the contracts of Deion Jones, Matt Ryan, and Grady Jarrett. Impending free agents such as Younghoe Koo, Foye Oluokun, Fabian Moreau, Patterson, and others will have to be considered to be brought back. This offseason could be hectic for Fontenot.
Although the offseason looms, the Falcons still have the season finale against their most hated rivals. Usually, the last game of a season for a team already eliminated from the playoffs is uneventful and meaningless. However, I have a feeling this Falcons team will play with extreme focus and intensity. Arthur Smith is the type of coach to demand it, regardless of the situation’s gravity. But also, and more importantly, the Falcons have a chance to play spoiler against the Saints.
The Falcons have largely struggled against the Saints with Sean Payton as the head coach, compiling a 10-21 record all-time against the 2006 Coach of the Year. Atlanta has only swept their division rivals twice, but Arthur Smith has a chance to make it three in his first year as Falcons head coach. Granted, the Saints are in the first year of the post-Drew Brees era, but Falcons fans don’t care about that.
For the Saints to secure their fifth-straight playoff birth, they have to beat the Falcons in a matchup that has been flexed to 3:25 p.m. CST/4:25 p.m. EST kickoff. New Orleans also needs the Rams to beat the 49ers in a game that is also set to kick off at 3:25 p.m. CST/4:25 p.m. EST. The NFL decided to flex the NFC South matchup to make things more interesting, so no players will get the chance to scoreboard watch. It would be a fantastic way to end the season for the Falcons, completing a season sweep and keeping their most hated rivals out of the playoffs.
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