Injuries derailed the Atlanta Falcons’ hopes of making it back to the postseason in 2018. The Falcons were just two years removed from nearly winning their first Super Bowl, but three of their best defenders missed most of the season, and that ruined their chances of making the playoffs for a third straight year. Atlanta is hoping to stay healthy and return to the postseason, but this is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
2019 NFL Season Win Totals
Atlanta Falcons
Over 9 Wins +124
Under 9 Wins -150
There has been a significant amount of action on the under since this number was released. It doesn’t seem like sharps are buying Atlanta’s turnaround potential even though the offense could be better than it was last year under new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
Atlanta Falcons 2019 Schedule
|
Week
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
|
1
|
September 8, 2019
|
@ Minnesota Vikings
|
|
2
|
September 15, 2019
|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
|
3
|
September 22, 2019
|
@ Indianapolis Colts
|
|
4
|
September 29, 2019
|
Tennessee Titans
|
|
5
|
October 6, 2019
|
@ Houston Texans
|
|
6
|
October 13, 2019
|
@ Arizona Cardinals
|
|
7
|
October 20, 2019
|
Los Angeles Rams
|
|
8
|
October 27, 2019
|
Seattle Seahawks
|
|
9
|
BYE
|
|
|
10
|
November 10, 2019
|
@ New Orleans Saints
|
|
11
|
November 17, 2019
|
@ Carolina Panthers
|
|
12
|
November 24, 2019
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
|
13
|
November 28, 2019
|
New Orleans Saints
|
|
14
|
December 8, 2019
|
Carolina Panthers
|
|
15
|
December 15, 2019
|
@ San Francisco 49ers
|
|
16
|
December 22, 2019
|
Jacksonville Jaguars
|
|
17
|
December 29, 2019
|
@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
The Falcons will not play any of their divisional opponents until the second half of the season. Atlanta will have a tough first two weeks, but then they play three straight AFC South opponents and they could win all of those games. In an interesting quirk, they then play three straight NFC West opponents, and they have the fortune of playing the two best teams in that division at home.
Atlanta Falcons 2019 NFL Draft Picks
|
Round
|
Pick
|
Player
|
Position
|
College
|
|
1
|
14
|
Chris Lindstrom
|
G
|
Boston College
|
|
1
|
31
|
Kaleb McGary
|
OT
|
Washington
|
|
4
|
111
|
Kendall Sheffield
|
CB
|
Ohio State
|
|
4
|
135
|
John Cominsky
|
DE
|
Charleston (WV)
|
|
5
|
152
|
Qadree Ollison
|
RB
|
Pittsburgh
|
|
5
|
172
|
Jordan Miller
|
CB
|
Washington
|
|
6
|
203
|
Marcus Green
|
WR
|
Louisiana–Monroe
|
Giving Matt Ryan protection along the offensive line was a point of emphasis in this draft. Atlanta took Chris Lindstrom with their first pick in the first round, and then they traded their second and third round picks to the Los Angeles Rams in order to get back into the bottom half of the first round. With the penultimate pick of the first round, they selected one of the last remaining offensive tackles with a first round grade in Kaleb McGary.
Qadree Ollison is a name to watch later in the draft. University of Pittsburgh running backs have fared very well in the NFL, and Ollison is looking to follow in the footsteps of alumni like LeSean McCoy, Dion Lewis, and James Conner. Ollison was named ACC Rookie of the Year as a freshman after Conner tore his ACL, and he was a second-team all-conference selection last season.
Atlanta Falcons 2019 Prediction
If the rookies along the offensive line end up working out, this offense could be one of the best in the league. Julio Jones is one of the top three receivers in the NFL by anyone’s ranking, and Matt Ryan is one of the top 10 or 12 quarterbacks in the league. The running game should be able to get going too if the offensive line ends up panning out, but much of that depends on the two first rounders.
This defense is fast, young, and talented. This is the only unit in the league where every projected starter was drafted by the team, and every player expected to start this season was drafted in 2013 or later. Two members of the 2016 Draft Class in particular are key to Atlanta’s success this season. Linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal were injured for nearly all of the 2018 campaign. They are arguably the two most important players on the defense.
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