Atlanta Falcons: NFL analyst predicts mediocre 2021 season record

The Atlanta Falcons will enter the 2021 season expected to finish either third or fourth in the NFC South Division.

The Falcons will certainly be behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints when analysts begin to predict how they believe the standings will unfold and there are many who believe Atlanta could finish behind the Carolina Panthers for another season.

It’s tough to go from last in your division to competing for a playoff spot, but new Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot has maintained that the franchise expects to improve and to become competitive after a lackluster season.

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Say what you want, but the restructure of Matt Ryan’s contract painted a picture that the Falcons aren’t trying to rebuild, they’re trying to win now in the final few years of Ryan’s deal.

If that’s the case, then the playoffs- or at least competing for a spot in the playoffs- needs to be the goal.

ESPN published an article detailing the early win totals for every team in the NFL and analyst Michael Rothstein gave his prediction for what he believes the Falcons will be able to accomplish in 2021.

The Falcons’ over/under is seven wins and Rothstein projected a ‘push.’

"“Vegas is usually spot-on with these numbers, and the Falcons have won seven or fewer games in each of the past three seasons,” Rothstein said. “Their 2020 season was a bit of an outlier at 4-12 after 7-9 seasons in 2018 and 2019. If — and this is a big if — the team’s stars can stay healthy, then the Falcons could reach eight or nine wins. But if anyone of significance were to miss multiple weeks, particularly on defense, this goes from over to at-the-line or under real quick. Other than receiver and defensive line, Atlanta doesn’t have the depth to handle injuries to starters, though the upcoming draft could help.”"

While, on the surface, many would look at a 7-10 record (remember the NFL goes to 17 games this season) and believe that is a step in the right direction. The problem, though, is that still isn’t a competitive record.

7-10 is certainly a step up from 4-12, but it’s not good enough for what the Falcons have put forth as their goal and I don’t think any fan would look back on a 7-10 season this fall and believe that it was a successful season.

The Falcons seem to be drifting into no man’s land and the only way out is to either commit to a rebuild or to put all the pieces together to compete. It’s easier said than done, but finishing right below 500 as they had done prior to this 2020 season just isn’t getting the job done.