Looking back at the last Atlanta Falcons 2-0 start

The last time the Atlanta Falcons started a season 2-0 was September 17th 2017 against the Green Bay Packers. It was a solid start for Aaron Rodgers but Matt Ryan and the offense led the tempo early putting the game out of reach and surviving a late charge from the Green Bay offense.

Current Packer De'Vondre Campbell added in a sack for the Falcons along with Adrian Clayborn and Vic Beasley. Atlanta's leading rusher was Devonta Freeman with 84 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day.

The number one song was "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift and "It" was the number one movie at the box office over the weekend. Speaking to just how long it has been since Atlanta started 2-0 and how painful the following seasons have been.

The 2017 season would end against a team of destiny with Matt Ryan unable to complete a game-winning drive over Nick Foles and the Eagles that would go on to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Despite how the season ended it was a fun year for a team that took a slight step back but clearly still had the pieces to be a playoff contender.

Looking back the clearest difference in these two teams aside from Matt Ryan is the rushing talent and potential of the defense. Despite the struggles against the Packers, this defense is capable of carrying Atlanta this season and the offense is built around the rush.

No disrespect to Tevin Coleman or Devonta Freeman but the duo clearly needed Matt Ryan and a strong passing attack to succeed. For the 2023 Falcons, the opposite is the case with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier demanding attention and taking the pressure off of Desmond Ridder.

This is a great roster capable of going as far as Desmond Ridder can take them with a chance to return to the playoffs and continue to match records Atlanta hasn't seen in far too long.