Fresh off of their 23-16 win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, the Atlanta Falcons are finally getting the respect they deserve.
Atlanta (4-1) was written off after their midseason collapse in 2015; they started last season off with a 5-0 record, but finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Some critics continue to hang that over their heads, yet fail to realize that this is a much different Falcons team in 2016.
The Atlanta Falcons are the Real Deal
Through five weeks, the Falcons have the league’s best offense. Atlanta is first in nearly every offensive category, including points per game and total yards, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Matt Ryan has a plethora of weapons at his disposal, featuring the best running back tandem in the league and a receiving corps that frightens opposing defenses.
An MVP Candidate
Ryan is an early front-runner to win the league MVP award. He leads the NFL in passing yards (1,740) and is first in every other area except touchdown passes, where he ranks second with 12. Completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, he’s averaging over 10 yards per attempt and has been picked off just twice. All of these factors have helped him pick apart anyone and everyone that he has gone up against in 2016. The Ryan of old is back and better than ever.
A Multi-talented Running Back Rotation
Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have been nearly unstoppable through five games. Freeman, who was the Falcons’ feature back for much of 2015, now has a sidekick in Coleman that compliments him to a tee. Both can tote the ball extremely well, but what sets them apart from most other running backs is their outstanding ability to catch the football. Not only are they catching passes out of the backfield, but they’re lining up outside as receivers and dominating their matchups.
Coleman has 313 yards receiving in five outings, which is more than Steve Smith, Kelvin Benjamin, DeAndre Hopkins and DeSean Jackson. Freeman is ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing yards through five contests with 410, and has 117 yards receiving. Combined, Freeman and Coleman have exactly 1,000 yards of total offense and are only going to get better as the season progresses.
A True Difference-Maker
Julio Jones has the third-most receiving yards in the NFL with 517, due in large part to his 300-yard extravaganza against the Carolina Panthers in Week Four. Other than that game, Jones has mainly been held in check, but it’s not because of a lack of effort. With Ryan having so many other options, he hasn’t had to rely on Jones like he did a season ago. Just having Jones on the field frees up players like Mohamed Sanu, Jacob Tamme, Austin Hooper and Aldrick Robinson to make plays. As soon as the defense lets up on Jones, good things happen.
There really is no stopping this Falcons offense. It’s too deep and too balanced to key in on any one thing. One week, they’ll gash a team in the ground game. The next, Ryan will burn a secondary for 500 yards. The talented Panthers defense couldn’t stop it, and the vaunted Broncos defense couldn’t stop it, either.
A Better-than-Advertised Defense
On the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons haven’t been terrific, but they’ve improved week after week. Atlanta’s dreadful pass rush has started to come alive after posting six sacks against the Broncos, and their ability to start fast has helped them as the game goes along. Although they place near the bottom in yards allowed, much of those yards have come at the end of games when they’ve played prevent defense to help run out the clock.
This is also a defense that isn’t at full strength. The Falcons are currently without their three opening-day starters at linebacker. Sean Weatherspoon is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Week Four, and rookies De’Vondre Campbell and Deion Jones are both out with separate injuries. Despite the nagging health issues, this is a unit that will ameliorate as the campaign presses on.
It’s only the middle of October, but the Atlanta Falcons have been one of the league’s most surprising clubs in 2016. Notwithstanding their defensive woes, they have managed to pile up early victories. Them being the best team in football is debatable, but they are definitely legit.
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