The Falcons are 0-2, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the on-field product has been even worse than the record… if that’s even possible. Week 1 against the Eagles was one of the most pathetic performances I’ve ever seen from an NFL team. In all phases, the Falcons were abysmal, as they were trounced at home by an Eagles team that many believed would finish at the bottom of the NFC. There were improvements in Week 2 against the Bucs, but a fourth quarter full of mistakes led to a 23-point blowout.
I can’t say there is anything we’ve seen over the first two weeks that would lead me to believe the Falcons can turn this around and somehow make a playoff run. The offensive line can’t protect Matt Ryan for more than a couple of seconds, preventing Arthur Smith from opening up the playbook. And the defense, as expected, still sucks. Dean Pees is a wonderful coordinator, but not even he can make lemonade out of the sour grapes he was handed. However, if the Falcons are ever going to turn this around this season, it has to happen now, as their upcoming schedule features a plethora of winnable games.
Falcons Schedule Weeks 3-12
- @ New York Giants
- vs. Washington Football Team
- vs. New York Jets (London Game)
- Bye Week
- @ Miami Dolphins
- vs. Carolina Panthers
- @ New Orleans Saints
- @ Dallas Cowboys
- vs. New England Patriots
- @ Jacksonville Jaguars
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An optimistic Falcons fan might look at that schedule and see nine winnable games, or at least seven. I guess technically, every game is winnable, but I’m not an optimistic Falcons fan. How could you be after watching the last several seasons? I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum, and until they prove to me otherwise, I’m going to continue to evaluate this team for what they are worth, which isn’t much.
I’ll admit this, those first three games on the docket are winnable. The Giants, Football Team, and Jets have all looked pretty bad early on and have similarly lousy track records. However, nothing in the NFL is a given, especially when you’re the Falcons, and it wouldn’t shock me one bit if Atlanta found a way to lose two out of three of those games.
After that stretch, though, I’m not sure what other fans are seeing. The Dolphins, Panthers, Saints, Cowboys, and Patriots are all legit playoff contenders. Based on what we’ve seen from the Falcons thus far, it would be a miracle for them to win two of those games. It’s not impossible, but we’d have to see a lot of improvement from Arthur Smith’s bunch for that to happen. As far as the Jaguars are concerned, the Falcons better beat them, or this situation is much more dire than I ever imagined.
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