Atlanta Falcons: FanSided picks the Falcons to finish third in NFC South

The Atlanta Falcons are not predicted to be anything special in 2020 after the schedule verified what we already knew – this will be a tough season.

After back to back losing seasons, the Atlanta Falcons are looking to right the ship. They have addressed nearly every needs the roster has and owner Arthur Blank is giving his front office and his coaching staff one more chance to make it right.

FanSided NFL expert Matt Verderame has released his annual picks of all 256 games, final standings, and playoff predictions.

He thinks that the Atlanta Falcons will improve in 2020, but marginally. He has them finishing third in the NFC South and going 8-8 overall. Verderame believes that the Saints and Bucs both make the playoffs, with each team winning at least 11 games.

Apparently 100-year-old quarterbacks and washed up tight-ends make rosters better.

The NFC South is loaded with talent and not just at quarterback. The Atlanta Falcons roster is loaded with talent and also has several integral players on “show-me” deals as well. If (this is a big if) Dan Quinn and his coaching staff can push all the right buttons, this team is talented enough to be the best team in the NFC South.

The 2020 version of the Atlanta Falcons at worst should be 8-8. This means that the franchise lost every 50/50 call and lost several one-possession games, which we have seen many times over the last couple of years.

While 2020 prognostications are based in large part of what happened in 2019, it is hard to believe that the Saints and Bucs have shown to be three to five games better than the Falcons. The Saints have gotten better and while the Bucs added Tom Brady, they added a very old player entering a new offense for the first time in his career as a starter.

By no means are we saying that Matt Verderame is incorrect as the Falcons very well could go 8-8, but there is no way that the Falcons finish third in the NFC South by that wide of a margin.