Remember how bad the Atlanta Falcons' pass rush was during the first half of last season? That perception has stuck with everyone, and it might be incorrect.
After the bye week, Raheem Morris' squad turned up the heat, becoming one of the league's best pass rushes. Yet, that has magically slipped everyone's mind.
Falcons pass rush isn't as bad as the media has advertised
Matt Judon, Arnold Ebiketie, and others did not produce like they were expected to start last season.
But then something clicked as they went on a tear we hadn't seen since 2016.
The first eight weeks, the Falcons had six sacks, meaning they were on pace to have 13 for the season—a number that would've tagged them as one of the three worst in the past 40 years.
After Week 8, it was a different story.
The Falcons took down the quarterback 31 times in nine games—a 47-sack pace.
Not only that, but they went on a hot streak from Week 12 to 16 where they logged five, four, four, three, and five sacks.
So, if they finished the season as one of the league's best pass rushers, why are they talked about as the worst unit in the league (before the draft)?
There are arguments for both sides; while they finished strong, they still had a couple of games where they generated no pressure (most notably, Week 18 vs. Panthers), and went against some bad offensive lines (e.g., Cowboys, Vikings, and Raiders).
You could go back and forth with this, but the real truth likely lands somewhere in the middle: they aren't close to being the best in the league, and they aren't as bad as the media has portrayed.
Nevertheless, no one is complaining that they doubled up at the position in the first round.
If Arnold Ebiketie can continue his hot streak, Leonard Floyd can remain consistent, and the two rookies can force consistent pressure, the Dirty Birds' defense will be much improved.