Atlanta Falcons Pre-season Struggles A Reason For Concern?

The Atlanta Falcons are 0-3 this pre-season and have struggled offensively. Should the Falcon’s terrible start in the pre-season be a cause for concern headed into the season?

Watching the Atlanta Falcons play the Jacksonville Jaguars it was obvious pre-season football is winding to its end. The Falcons now sit at 0-3 on the pre-season and have struggled on both sides of the ball at times.

Some fans may be wondering if the team’s slow start should be a cause for concern? The short answer is no.

Pre-season football is like looking into a funhouse mirror where there is little reality in what you are seeing.

Atlanta is saving their playbook for when it counts, calling vanilla plays and watching positional battles, focusing on staying healthy for the season to come.

Just in case you still have misconceptions about how much the pre-season means take a look at the standings. Standings that have the Cincinnati Bengals undefeated at 3-0.

A Bengals team most NFL fans can agree will be nowhere near a playoff contender in the 2018 season.

Atlanta has plenty of talent and a  year behind them to recover from the Super Bowl loss. Their play calling has been tentative in the pre-season protecting their players and saving the playbook for the season opener against the defending champs.

Pre-season football is an illusion football-starved fans read far too much into.  While it is useful for positional battles and to get in game shape it is an otherwise useless exercise that makes little sense.

Good teams will not risk their players getting hurt in meaningless games calling potentially explosive plays.

Atlanta will be just fine this season with an offensive coordinator who has had a year to learn the offense and a team full of weapons.

The Falcon’s season will be the NFL opener against the defending champs the Philadelphia Eagles.