The Atlanta Falcons have been an afterthought amongst the media after a disappointing end to the 2024 season.
That said, the consensus is that they have the talent to win their division, and potentially a couple of playoff games -- it just comes down to not underperforming.
One well-known NFL analyst and former quarterback shouted them out on The Rich Eisen Show as his biggest "sleeper" team.
Dan Orlovsky actually believes in the Falcons, again
Last year, there were a lot of analysts who thought the Falcons would be a playoff team, and they were right, for half the year.
ESPN's Dan Orlovsky was one of those people, but he isn't letting that distract him from the fact that this year's team feels different; they feel ready to take a giant leap forward.
"The Falcons. ... I just think roste rwise there's a lot of individual talent."@danorlovsky7 tells @richeisen the NFL team he feels is a sleeper this season 💤
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 5, 2025
Stream the @RichEisenShow on @disneyplus and the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/Ty2pdPchJG
Minus the fact that Orlovsky is video calling Rich Eisen while driving a car without a seatbelt, it is impossible to hate on him.
This is an uber-talented offense that is led by a polarizing talent at the quarterback position and an up-and-coming offensive playcaller.
The questions come on the defense, as they usually do. Dan mentioned James Pearce Jr.'s name, saying he has heard outstanding things from those inside the building about him. That backs up everything the fans have heard.
If Pearce Jr. can break out, along with Jalon Walker, there is no reason to think the defense can't be in the top half of the league. With the offensive firepower they have, a top-16 defense would be good enough to win the NFC South.
However, we have heard this story before and it is hard to firmly believe it until we see it.
We thought we saw it last year when Kirk Cousins was destroying the teams inside the division. And then came his injuries that ruined the team's season.
We saw what Penix Jr. can do, and it has everyone excited. But that was three games, which isn't enough to judge for a 17-game season.
Nevertheless, if there is any year to believe, it is this year. We don't have an aging quarterback coming off a season-ending injury, and the defense isn't relying on Matt Judon to generate pressure.
Every position on the defense is improved, and it has everyone excited for what is to come.