Falcons have 1 immense advantage over NFC contenders in pivotal 2024

The Atlanta Falcons have decided to make a firm push for contention this season. The signing of Kirk Cousins to be their new quarterback, coupled with defensive additions like Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons, has Raheem Morris positioned to compete for an NFC South title right off the bat.

While the AFC is so stacked that teams with high-end quarterbacks are projected to miss the playoffs, the NFC is wide open. Atlanta won't have a particularly arduous road to go through if they want to make it back to the postseason. In fact, some would call their road incredibly easy.

PFF's ELO system takes into account "record from last season, their opponents' records, home and away games, injuries and roster changes." Based on this method, the Falcons have the easiest schedule in the league by a fairly wide margin. What a dream for a rookie head coach.

According to PFF's own ranking metrics, the Falcons play just three games this season against teams ranked in the Top 16. With six division games against lowly Carolina, struggling New Orleans, and a Tampa Bay team who may not have all of last season's pixie dust, the Falcons are in position to take hold of this division.

Falcons gifted easiest schedule in NFL in PFF ELO ranking

The toughest part of the season for the Falcons is right at the beginning, as their first three games are against the always-competitive Steelers, deadly Eagles, and mighty Chiefs. After that, the Falcons only play against three teams who had winning records last year, two of whom (Buccaneers and Seahawks) went 9-8.

After playing the Dallas Cowboys at home on November 3, the Falcons don't play a single team with a winning record in 2023 for the remainder of the season. That easy finish could be a massive boost for their contention chances, especially if it takes a few weeks for Cousins to gel with his offense.

The roster is capable of finally being a winner this season. Bijan Robinson is ready to take the league by storm, and the 1-2 punch of Kyle Pitts and Drake London finally has a solid quarterback to accentuate their skills. The defensive veterans who have come in will make things much better very quickly.

The Falcons have every advantage needed to come away with an NFC South title. Failing to do so, even in Morris' first season as head coach, could be seen as a failure by many.