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Atlanta Falcons’ Primary Challengers For A Playoff Spot

By John Buhler

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I’ve analyzed the 2015 Atlanta Falcons schedule many times to the point where if all goes well, the Dirty Birds should get back into the playoffs after a two-year absence with either a 9-7 or 10-6 record.  While neither mark guarantees an NFC South Crown (well, it would have last year…), that seems sufficient to getting at worst a wild card berth in 2015.

-= Evan Mathis: Should the Atlanta Falcons Sign Him? =-

Looking across the landscape of the NFC, I still see four of the six playoff spots close to being locked up already.  It would shock me to not see the Seattle Seahawks or the Green Bay Packers not in the postseason.  And I have to believe that the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers will probably get back into the playoffs this fall.  So with really two playoff spots up for grabs at this point, who are the Atlanta Falcons primary challengers for 2015 playoff contention?

If we stay in the NFC South, I’m not sold on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers doing any better than 6-10.  Even that sounds like a stretch.  But Tampa will improve from a disastrous 2-14 last season.  The New Orleans Saints are always interesting given their intense rivalry with the Atlanta Falcons.  To me, what separates Atlanta from New Orleans this year is in the auxiliary NFC Games.  Atlanta gets Minnesota and San Francisco, while New Orleans draws Arizona and Detroit, both playoff teams in 2014.  I think the Saints are going to miss Jimmy Graham terribly in those two games.

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    • In the NFC East, I see the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles as potential playoff contenders to start the year with the Washington Redskins still not there yet.  I get the feeling that between New York and Philadelphia, one will contend with Dallas until the end of the year while the other falls flat right out of the gate.  But it’s still too early to tell.  We will know by Week 5 which other NFC East team is a contender.

    Going to the North, I really like the Minnesota Vikings entering 2015.  Teddy Bridgewater has the makings of the next great NFL quarterback.  I believe in what Mike Zimmer is doing in Minneapolis and that the Atlanta Falcons game against Minnesota is a big game for both teams that have playoff aspirations.  Detroit could get back to the postseason with their Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson passing game, but could end up really missing Ndamukong Suh in their ferocious front four.  The Bears might have a rough year at Soldier Field.

    -= Falcons All-Time Lists: Top 5 QBs =-

    Then in the West, I’m very high on the St. Louis Rams finally putting it all together.  I think that Nick Foles will outperform anything Sam Bradford did in the Arch City.  Plus Jeff Fisher now has Todd Gurley to hand the ball off to.  This Rams team is so close and I believe they finally break through in 2015.  And while I expect the San Francisco 49ers to tailspin in 2015, don’t forget about Bruce Arians’ Arizona Cardinals.  If the Cards aren’t decimated by injuries, they are as good as anybody in the NFC.

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    To bring it all back home, I see the Atlanta Falcons primary competition for getting back into the postseason are the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the New Orleans Saints.  While I expect St. Louis, Detroit and Arizona to all be in the mix, the Atlanta Falcons have no say in how those teams’ regular seasons end up since we don’t play any of them.

    So I think the Atlanta Falcons cannot go worse than 3-2 against Minnesota, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia if the Dirty Birds want to play in the postseason.  Atlanta can drop a game to the Saints and either the Eagles of the Giants, not both.  The game against the Vikings is a must-win to me at this point.  These five games are where the fate of the 2015 Atlanta Falcons is ultimately decided.

    Next: Atlanta Falcons: Better 2015, Reed or Durant?

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