The past few years have not been very kind to Atlanta sports teams. The Atlanta Hawks missed out on the NBA Playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The Atlanta Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Divisional Series in 2022 and 2023 before losing to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series last year. Atlanta United, winners of the 2018 MLS Cup, have not even reached the Conference Finals since 2019.
As for the Atlanta Falcons, it's been more of the same. One of the only NFL teams to have never won the ultimate prize, the Falcons came close to winning their first-ever Super Bowl in 2017, only to squander a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots.
Since that heartbreaking collapse, the Falcons have neither reached the Super Bowl nor won the NFC South title. They made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs the following year, losing to the Eagles, before going 7-9 in 2018 and 2019 and dropping to a lowly 4-12 in 2020.
The Falcons' struggles have continued over the following years, going 7-10 in 2021, 2022, and 2023. And despite replacing Arthur Smith with new head coach Raheem Morris, they nevertheless failed to make the playoffs for the sixth-straight year after finishing 8-9. They have taken strides to improve their woeful defense by signing defensive ends and James Pearce Jr. in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, as well as safeties Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
Falcons Have Perfect Shot at Winning NFC South in 2025
The NFC South has been arguably the weakest division in the NFL ever since Tom Brady retired. If the Falcons are to sneak into the playoffs, they'll likely be unable to do so as a wild-card and will need to win the NFC South, a division that has been won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in each of the last four years.
The Bucs remain the favorites to win the division, boasting the best wide receiver core in the NFC South with the likes of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, as well as a top-notch quarterback in Baker Mayfield. However, with offensive coordinator Liam Cohen departing for Jacksonville, Tampa Bay might very well lose a step in the attacking front. Furthermore, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs will miss the first few games of the season with a knee injury.
As for the New Orleans Saints, they find themselves on track for yet another dismal campaign after losing starting quarterback Derek Carr to retirement. The Carolina Panthers, meanwhile, remain a work in progress, with the jury still out on quarterback Bryce Young and the rest of their young, up-and-coming core.
The onus, then, is on Atlanta to step up and go from a middle-of-the-road side to a top-of-the-table team. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who started his rookie season on the bench before taking the starting job from Kirk Cousins, looks set to deliver on his promising sensations and build a strong chemistry with receiving threats Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Furthermore, veteran linebacker Leonard Floyd should elevate their defensive spine after arriving in the offseason from San Francisco.
Can Atlanta finally return to the playoffs? Falcons fans should stay tuned for what promises to be an exciting season at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.