OT - Are the Falcons going to stick around after this year?

[Ring 6]

We see more than not teams that have really good years fall back to the pack for a number of reasons. Denver has a good amount. Carolina has. The Ravens have. Arizona has. They are in the mix to make it in the playoffs but not clearly one of the top teams.

In the AFC I see the Patriots, Raiders sticking around at this point. In the NFC I think Dallas, Seahawks. To a lesser extent other teams like GB/KC exist in both conferences (but they are one of those always the bridesmaid never the bride kind of teams).

Is Atlanta a team we will be talking about again as a real contender in the final 8 next year or will they be at home after being knocked out or miss the playoffs entirely?

Edit: Falcons fans who read this don't take offense.

Atlanta has a good chance to stay competitive because they have offensive talent and a defensive coach.

Other afc teams:
Raiders may be due for a step back after their first winning season in forever.
Denver is a slide. They may compete some but are going the wrong way.
Baltimore will retool as will Pitt because they know what they are doing. Cincy will continue to be a non factor. KC has plateaued. Indy could rise now that grigson is gone and Tennessee is moving in the right direction. Houston is stagnant and by the time they find a QB they may be degrading in other areas.
Cleveland is actually doing it right and they will teach the playoffs by 2019 maybe even 2018.

 

[Wheelman]

No, they cheated and still had losing seasons. They'll fall back to the pack.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

It's pretty rare for any teams to "stick around".

Plus the Super Bowl hangover is real for most teams.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Chances are unlikely. Win or lose the sb, unless youre ne or seattle super bowl participants since 99 or so dont go very far the following year.

 

[dafoe2016]

I don't think Carolina is a fair comparison. They let a ton of talent go in the offseason and made no real attempt to replace it.

As for Atlanta? Who knows? They have some serious issues on defense and lost five games. It's not like they are the juggernaut everyone is making them out to be. The NFC will probably improve. And I'm not sold on Matt Ryan yet. Who's to say the Matt Ryan who we've seen every year before this one doesn't show up next year? If that's the case this is not a playoff team.

Who knows? Way too early for that.

 

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

I guess so. They have tons of cap room (62m), almost no must re-sign FA ( maybe Toilolo and Ishmael) and a great O. They need to focus on D because it's pretty bad... Yeah they are fast and furious but they have 1 pass rusher, their front 7 is weak and their CB are avg. They have the money to fix this and be a way better team next year. Ryan is a great QB.

 

[mariomega]

Nope.

Atlante, IMHO, is as a one tricky pony as it gets.

They got a ton of breaks, Seattle losing the 2nd seed, Seattle and GB rosters decimated.

Sorry for all the Falcons fans, I just can't see this team dominating the NFC, I can't trust Matty Ice to have this consistency.

 

[stinkypete]

I don't see why not based on the offense alone. Franchise QB mid-prime, good offensive line, elite #1 WR with some depth behind him, good run game.

Defense is below average for now, but it has pieces - Jarrett, Basley, Jones, Trufant, Alford, Neil - to build around.