For the first time in years, it was a stress-free Sunday for Falcons fans thanks to their improbable overtime victory against the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.
Last year, when the Falcons were trailing in the fourth quarter, they finished those games with a 2-10 record. Already this year, under those same conditions, the club is 3-2. Raheem Morris and Kirk Cousins have a lot to do with that.
Against the Eagles, Cousins took over with 1:39 left and drove Atlanta’s offense 70 yards down the field, completing 5-of-6 passes, including the game-winner to Drake London.
Then, last week against the Bucs, the Falcons’ defense stood on its head, something they hadn’t done all game. The good guys got some help from the refs, and the Tampa offense finished the drive losing 14 yards. Baker Mayfield wouldn’t touch the ball again, thanks to Kirk Cousins and Younghoe Koo.
Though they pulled off an improbable victory against the Saints sandwiched in between those other games, it wasn’t because of Cousins and the offense. It was thanks to the defense and special teams, proving this club is capable of winning in multiple ways.
With the 49ers losing to the Cardinals, the unproven Vikings and Commanders, and the overall murky picture in the NFC, is it an overreaction to say the Falcons are Super Bowl contenders?
In some sense, of course, it’s an overreaction. In others, it’s not an overreaction at all.
On the one hand, this Falcons team is very flawed in some facets and has shown no consistency whatsoever. Atlanta’s pass rush is still non-existent. When was the last time the Super Bowl champion had a bottom-five pass rush? I’m not sure it’s ever happened. The offense has also been inconsistent for the entire season, with last week being the first time we’ve seen Zac Robinson’s offense put it together all four quarters.
On the other hand, Cousins and Robinson were always going to have a meshing period with Atlanta’s offensive personnel and each other. There’s very good reason to believe the Falcons offense looks much closer to the Week 5 version than the other four games. The defense is also an opportunistic bunch that bends but doesn’t break and has come up with several timely stops, directly leading to Falcons victories.
What I believe makes this Falcons team a serious contender in the Super Bowl picture is their ability to win in multiple ways, but more than anything, Atlanta hasn’t played their best ball in any facet and has plenty of room to grow. Playing your best ball at the end of the season; that’s what champions do.
It’s not an overreaction to call these Falcons a Super Bowl contender.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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