Who was the greatest Atlanta Falcons team of all time?

The two Mike Vick squads square off in the next matchup and these squads are pretty similar.

The 2002 Falcons was the first full season in which Vick was the starter. This was also Warrick Dunn’s first season playing with the Falcons and giving a boost to their running game. The calling card for this team was the defense.

They ranked 8th in scoring defense and had no issues getting to the quarterback or picking off the opposing quarterback (2.93 sacks per game, 1.5 interceptions a game). The offense literally had to manage the game on offense to give the defense time to rest.

The 2004 Atlanta Falcons weren’t what the 2002 Falcons were on defense but the offense had improved tremendously.

What’s more frightening than a young and electric Michael Vick? How about one with some experience under his belt.

He was at the helm of the 2002 team that went into Lambeau and destroyed the Packers. 2004 was his third season as the starting quarterback and while his stats didn’t improve like most would have liked but that didn’t stop him from leading this team to the playoffs.

The scary thing about this team, the ground game. The Falcons led the league in rushing with 2,672 yards. Being able to control the ball the way they did make life easier for the defense. The duo of Patrick Kerney and Rod Coleman roamed the trenches and a young Deangelo Hall was staking his claim as one of the best young corners in the game.

With the teams being so similar in terms of personnel, it’s hard to pick a winner but the 2004 Falcons get the nod. Yes, both teams had explosive running games and solid defenses but the ability for the 2004 team to control the ball the way they did on the ground is out of this world.

Winner: 2004