Bleacher Report was live from Atlanta Falcons training camp on Tuesday, interviewing and discussing all things related to the team.
Among the guests was legendary pass rusher and the franchise's last truly great pass rusher, John Abraham.
At the end, Abraham was tasked with going through the Falcons' schedule and predicting which games they would win and lose. And if his predictions turn out to be true, the franchise will be heading to the postseason for the first time since the 2017 season.
John Abraham projects the 2025 Falcons as a playoff team
The Falcons have a finicky schedule that includes a lot of tough games and a condensed road schedule.
While this factored into Abraham's thinking, it didn't deter him from predicting double-digit wins from this team. Here is a full look:
- vs. TB: Win
- @ MIN: Loss
- @ CAR: Win
- vs. WAS: Win
- BYE
- vs. BUF: Tie
- @ SF: Win
- vs. MIA: Win
- @ NE: Loss
- @ IND: Win
- vs. CAR: Loss
- @ NO: Win
- @ NYJ: Loss
- vs. SEA: Win
- @ TB: Loss
- @ ARI: Loss
- vs. LAR: Win
- vs. NO: Win
That is good for a record of 10-6-1 which, considering the division, should be good enough to get you into the postseason.
Those predictions are interesting because the first half of the season is full of wins, while the second half is closer to a .500 win percentage, even though the first half figures to be much more difficult.
This is what makes the NFL so much fun; there are so many different factors in play each week.
Abraham focused in on the toll all the traveling could have on the team in the second half. They go through an eight-week stretch where they play six road games. Luckily, this is also the weaker part of their schedule.
It is also funny looking at predictions because it seems implausible that a team could tie with the AFC East's best team, the Buffalo Bills, but go on to lose to the two worst teams, the New England Patriots and New York Jets.
However, that is how this league works. Just look at what happened last season with this team; they beat the eventual Super Bowl Champions and nearly beat the eventual AFC Champions the week after (if not for a missed penalty), but lost to the Saints and Panthers.
Hopefully, the Falcons will be able to live up to John Abraham's expectations and avoid an eighth straight season missing the playoffs.