The Falcons’ 2020 bandwagon has been pretty light on passengers as the offseason winds down. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield could both be considered exceptions, though.
Farrar ranked Atlanta’s defense at No. 11 in his NFL defensive rankings feature. Now, the team’s offense has received even higher praise.
In his offensive rankings for next season, Schofield has the Falcons coming in at No. 8:
Most of the attention paid to the NFC South this offseason involves the additions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made, notably Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. We will get to them, but while the focus might be on a potential showdown between Brady and Drew Brees, do not forget about the Falcons. Matt Ryan might have seen a bit of regression in 2019, as he posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 6.08 – his lowest mark since the 2013 season – but with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley on the outside, and Hayden Hurst added to work the middle of the field, this can still be a dangerous offense. Especially if the newly-acquired Todd Gurley can get back to the form he displayed while in Los Angeles.
Still, the Falcons are the third-ranked offense in the division, with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 5), and the New Orleans Saints (No. 3) landing even higher.
Three offenses from the same division making the NFL’s top ten isn’t totally crazy when you look at the personnel on each team. It also goes to show that no matter how much Atlanta has improved in the offseason, the NFC South looks like an absolute juggernaut.
Fortunately, the Falcons should have the ammunition to keep up.
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