The 2024 NFL season is now upon us, and the Atlanta Falcons are looking better than they have in years.
For a franchise that has seemed hopeless since their Super Bowl loss—a loss that their fans still suffer from post-traumatic stress over—this offseason has to feel pretty good. After three consecutive 7-10 seasons, coach Arthur Smith is gone, replaced by a familiar face in Raheem Morris, coming over from the Los Angeles Rams.
Though fans were undoubtedly happy to see Smith gone, Morris wasn’t exactly the big name Atlanta fans were hoping for. However, that has since been made up for by the talent acquisitions the Falcons made in one of their more active offseasons in recent memory.
The Falcons hope to have finally solved their quarterback situation not only for the present but for the future after signing veteran Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. with their first-round selection this year. It was more than unorthodox, but general manager Terry Fontenot wants to avoid the instability the team has faced since Matt Ryan’s departure.
Cousins gives this team more than just a pulse. He, along with other offseason moves and the already talented skill position players on the team, make the Falcons one of the must-see teams in the NFC this season.
With all that talent now comes a lot of expectations. So, let’s get into our bold predictions for the Falcons in the 2024 season.
We’ll Finally see the best version of Kyle Pitts, who scores at least five touchdowns
Kyle Pitts was supposed to be one of the next great tight ends in the NFL. But entering the 2024 NFL season, he’s still just a promising young player in need of a breakout season.
Pitts’ lack of production so far is a mix of bad luck and timing. His rookie season in Atlanta, which was Ryan’s last, has been his most productive to date. He caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards but struggled to find the end zone, scoring only once. Over the next two years, he nearly matched his yardage total (1,023) and added just five more touchdowns. His 2022 season was cut short to just 10 games due to injury.
Pitts has never truly had a reliable quarterback in Atlanta. Ryan was in the twilight of his career, and after that, it was Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinicke, and Desmond Ridder left throwing to him. But it bodes well for Pitts now that since 2015, Cousins ranks first in the NFL in pass attempts to tight ends with 1,030, according to CBS Sports. He’s also fourth in passing yards (7,728) and touchdowns (59) to the position.
With as many skill positions on this Falcons roster as there are, having a 1,000-yard season may be too ambitious. What’s not is Pitts scoring the most touchdowns of his career in a single season. Pitts should find the end zone at least five times in 2024.
Kirk Cousins finishes top three in MVP voting
Coming off a season-ending Achilles tendon tear or not, the Falcons’ 36-year-old quarterback is on one of the best rosters of his career.
If the Falcons can stay mostly healthy for the entire season, Cousins included, then he should have a monster season. Cousins has a two-headed monster in the backfield with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, plus weapons on the outside with Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts. That gives new Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson enough options to move this group down the field in a variety of ways.
Cousins has four Pro Bowls in his career but has never been included in MVP voting. That could very well change this season. We all know the competition is stiff, especially among quarterbacks, but Cousins has never been given a better opportunity to make a case for the award than this year. Could he even reach the 5,000-yard mark? That would certainly get him a lot of votes. If he did, it would be the first of his career.
Falcons will finally improve their pass rush
Over the last three seasons, the worst team in the NFL in team sacks has been the Falcons. Atlanta has just 81 team sacks in that span, with the next closest team being the Chicago Bears with 99, according to Stat Muse. Last year’s team, in particular, had the worst pass-rush win rate of all 32 teams in the league, at 31%.
Obviously, this has been a glaring issue for the Falcons that has been overlooked in recent years. That’s why the team was so heavily criticized after selecting Penix in the first round when there were plenty of pass rush options available with the No. 8 overall pick. But like they’ve proven all offseason thus far, the team has made up for it.
Grady Jarrett looks to have a comeback season after tearing his ACL last year. He’ll be grateful for the new additions on the defensive front. Though Atlanta lost third-round pick Bralen Trice for the season due to injury during training camp, they made four more picks that will help get to the quarterback in linemen Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, Zion Logue, and linebacker JD Bertrand. And who could forget recently traded pass-rush specialist Matthew Judon from the New England Patriots, who’ll be alongside guys like Kaden Elliss, Troy Andersen, and Arnold Ebiketie.
With that said, the Falcons may still not be the best in the league, but they’ll improve into the top 15 in team sacks in 2024.
Falcons win NFC South and make return to the playoffs
The boldest of all predictions is perhaps that the Falcons will finally take back the NFC South, which means they would also make the playoffs. Atlanta hasn’t held claim to the division since the 2016 season and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017. They’ve since had to watch the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers take the last seven titles. But like this division has been for the last two years, it should once again be one of the weakest in the NFL.
If we’re going roster for roster, the Falcons should be head and shoulders above the rest. While the Buccaneers did secure Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, the Falcons still have a better squad, at least on paper. The Carolina Panthers could be improved under a new coaching staff but probably not enough to win a division title. And the Saints’ coach Dennis Allen will more than likely be fighting for his job this season.
The last two years, the Buccaneers have won the division with 8-9 and 9-8 records. If the Falcons can’t at least secure 10 or more wins this year, then either too many injuries occurred, or mediocrity and bad coaching have set in once again for this team. Currently, the Falcons have the best odds (-145) to win the division, according to FanDuel. It’s time this team return to the postseason.
