Falcons fans were cautiously optimistic heading into the 2023 campaign. The roster was good enough to win a bad NFC South, but Desmond Ridder put the fear of god into some.
The Falcons ended up splitting the season series with the Buccaneers, Saints, and Panthers, leading to another 7-10 finish. It provided vindication for the pessimistic Falcons fans.
2024 is an entirely different feeling. Raheem Morris, Kirk Cousins, and the late offseason additions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons have put expectations and hope in Atlanta at highs that haven’t been seen since 2017.
The Athletic recently ran a fan poll on fan optimism. The Falcons came in ranked 10th, with 86.8% of those who voted feeling optimistic.
“Optimist Cozmo: All we needed last year was a QB. And now we’ve got two.”
Cozmo is right. The Bucs won the division last year and split with a Falcons-led Desmond Ridder team. The defense has improved, and the quarterback position has too.
“Optimist Brennan: Coaching change and Kirk Cousins increases optimism around getting more out of existing skill players. The defensive investment is encouraging, and I don’t mind (Michael) Penix because going all in on Cousins also would have been a little uncomfortable.”
Brennan is echoing everything other Falcons fans have been saying this entire offseason.
“Optimist Geoff: Arthur Smith is gone. Raheem (Morris) is an incredible leader with extensive knowledge on both sides of the ball. Players wanted to sign with Atlanta.”
Morris’ ability to provide hope inside of Flowery Branch is a breath of fresh air. The Falcons have absolutely won the offseason, but that doesn’t mean it will translate to the regular season. The jury is still out on Morris for me.
“Pessimist Rocky: Too much depends on an old quarterback coming back from an injury that cost him last season.”
Rocky sounds like a lot of Falcons fans. Pessimism runs deep in Atlanta for the Dirty Birds. It’s in our blood.
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However, Falcons fans might be a little too optimistic if we are talking about winning a Super Bowl. This kind fella put together a graph of how optimistic fan bases are compared to their implied Super Bowl odds.
The Athletic polled fans to see how optimistic they are going into the season. I charted that against each team's odds to win the Super Bowl.
Cowboys fans are really going through it, huh? pic.twitter.com/E0HIC01kZU
— Sam Hoppen (@SamHoppen) September 5, 2024
It’ll just be good to make the playoffs again, and I think a lot of Falcons fans feel that way. Winning a Super Bowl isn’t the expectation in Atlanta; winning the NFC South is, which is very attainable.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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