Atlanta Falcons: Playoff bid all depends on the defensive improvements

The Atlanta Falcons haven’t had such a great run over the past three seasons, and that is honestly an understatement.

A team that made a run to the Super Bowl just a few years ago has since fallen off the map and finished the 2020 season with just a 4-12 record. As a result, though, the Falcons held the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft, where they selected prolific TE Kyle Pitts.

As we inch closer to the 2021 season, there is a renewed sense of optimism among many Atlanta Falcons fans.

Most sites still have the Falcons with just 7 wins in terms of their expected win total, but there’s a feeling that this team could do much better if things fell into place.

Keep in mind that the Falcons lost eight games last year by one score or less, including matchup against some of the league’s top teams like the Chiefs, Saints and Bucs.

A playoff bid for the Atlanta Falcons rests on the defensive improvements

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs? 

It may seem ridiculous to mention the Falcons and postseason in the same sentence, but if you take just half of those lost games and turn them into wins, you’re talking about a team last season that could’ve been close to playoff contention.

Now, there’s a new coaching staff and new culture being built in Atlanta. Does it mean anything in Year 1?

Honestly, it will come down to the defense.

If the Falcons get any kind of consistency up-front on the offensive line, you have to believe that the offense is going to be one of the most explosive in the league with all the playmakers around Matt Ryan. But scoring points is only half the battle.

The Falcons were 19th in the league in team defense last season and gave up 6.2 yards per play, which was only better than the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars (6.3 yards per play). The Falcons were ranked No. 29 in the league in net yards gained per attempt (7.2) and it’s clear that the team struggled mightily against the pass in both its secondary and ability to rush from the edge.

So, how can they get better?

The Falcons added a talented safety in Richie Grant in the draft, but free-agency was largely spent on offensive players and the organization didn’t go after many top-tiered defensive players until later in the draft.

Still, there is hope because of the mind of Dean Pees. Here’s what SportsTalk ATL had to say about Pees:

"Pees has found success in deploying multiple defenses that cater to what his players do well while constantly adjusting week to week to the different offenses. The defense will go as far as Pees takes them, which could be an average unit by the end of the season."

Pees does have a knack for instituting multiple looks that can be difficult for an offense to prepare.

While the personnel is still lacking, the hope is that the system and scheme will hide some of those deficiencies and, in the end, if the Falcons can field an ‘average’ defense-  better than the bottom of the league in nearly every category like last year- there’s a chance that they win several games that they didn’t in 2020.

Is it enough to get over the hump and make it to the postseason? Not likely, but if you make improvements to the defense with the combination of what you should have offensively, you’ll at least be in the conversation. That’s all we can ask for at this point.