Reviewing Falcons season prediction: Do they make the playoffs?
How the second year under a new regime might go for the Atlanta Falcons
We have now gone through each week for the Atlanta Falcons with a prediction on what the final score will be. Obviously, there is no chance of being totally correct, or even mostly correct, but it still gives us a good idea of how the season could go.
If you have not read each of them, then please go read them by clicking the links below:
Read: Predicting the Atlanta Falcons’ season: Weeks 1 through 4.
Read: Predicting the Atlanta Falcons’ season: Weeks 5 through 8.
Read: Predicting the Atlanta Falcons’ season: Weeks 9 through 12.
Read: Predicting the Atlanta Falcons’ season: Weeks 13 through 18.
The outside sees the Falcons as a bad team that will be lucky to win six games, but everyone on the inside, including the fans, seems to be optimistic for the most part.
We know this is not the most talented team out there, but they seem more motivated than anyone. We see the direction the team is going and how they are constructing the roster. The long-term outlook on this team is more positive than it has been in years.
Recap of the season predictions for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022
It will take a lot from this team to even reach the level of these predictions and it will take much more for them to get to a point where they feel like they had a successful season.
Anyways, let’s take a look at the overall picture of how these predictions went for the Atlanta Falcons (away team on the left, home team on the right):
- Week 1: Saints 20, Falcons 27 (OT) – Win
- Week 2: Falcons 24, Rams 27 – Loss
- Week 3: Falcons 24, Seahawks 16 – Win
- Week 4: Browns 30, Falcons 21 – Loss
- Week 5: Falcons 20, Buccaneers 37 – Loss
- Week 6: 49ers 21, Falcons 20 – Loss
- Week 7: Falcons 20, Bengals 35 – Loss
- Week 8: Panthers 24, Falcons 30 – Win
- Week 9: Chargers 34, Falcons 17 – Loss
- Week 10: Falcons 27, Panthers 24 – Win
- Week 11: Bears 17, Falcons 31 – Win
- Week 12: Falcons 34, Commanders 24 – Win
- Week 13: Steelers 23, Falcons 21 – Loss
- Week 14: Bye
- Week 15: Falcons 34, Saints 35 – Loss
- Week 16: Falcons 17, Ravens 16 – Win
- Week 17: Cardinals 28, Falcons 32 – Win
- Week 18: Buccaneers 37, Falcons 28 – Loss
All of this combines for a record of 8-9, which is probably better than most media members would expect but Arthur Smith and his coaching staff will not settle for that record. They will without a doubt view it as a massive failure, even in a transition year.
Outlook for the Falcons’ 8-9 record, will it be enough to sneak into the playoffs?
The quick answer here is no, an 8-9 record would give the Falcons almost no shot at making it into the playoffs as a division winner or a wildcard team.
Only three teams since 2010 have made the playoffs with a losing record, those being the 2010 Seahawks with a 7-9 record who actually went on to beat the Saints (haha) in what is known as the ‘Beastquake game.’ The others were the 2014 Panthers — which could have been the Falcons if they were not demolished in the final week — with a record of 7-8-1 and finally Washington in 2020 with a record of 7-9, who came close to beating the eventual Super Bowl winning Bucs.
If you are looking for good news surrounding this, then you are in luck, the NFL added an extra playoff team to each conference following the 2020 NFL season, so in theory, the chances for a losing team to make the playoffs have gone up.
Even with an 8-9 record, you cannot say beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Falcons would not make the playoffs, but surely the coaching staff does not want to take that chance. Everyone would rather win double-digit games which basically secures you a spot in the postseason.
But to conclude this, the Falcons are on the right track to becoming a perennial contender, even if it might take another year or two. The climb for the Falcons to make the postseason this season is very steep, but crazier things have certainly happened.