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The Atlanta Falcons head into the 2017 season trying to put the biggest collapse in NFL history behind them. It won’t be easy, as they will never be able to forget their 28-3 collapse against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons boast a potent offense led by Matt Ryan but they will have a new offensive coordinator in Steve Sarkisian and Atlanta still has a below average defense. They also have to get past the dreaded Super Bowl runner-up curse. The Falcons are getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers, as Atlanta is listed as the favorite to win the NFC South and they are an odds-on favorite to make the playoffs. Atlanta is expected to be a Super Bowl contender again, with their win total set at 9.5 games for 2017.
Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl Odds
Super Bowl Odds: +1050
NFC Championship Odds: +500
NFC South Odds: +168
Odds Falcons Make Playoffs: -135
Falcons Regular Season Win Total: 9.5
The Falcons are one of the top contenders to win Super Bowl LII at odds of +1050. They are considered a solid choice to win the NFC at odds of +500. Atlanta has a season win total of 9.5 but that number may be a bit optimistic considering how poorly teams have done recently following a Super Bowl loss. The Falcons face the 13th-most difficult schedule in the NFL for the 2017 season.
2017 Atlanta Falcons Schedule
Week 1: Falcons at Bears – Sunday, September 10, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 2: Falcons vs. Packers – Sunday, September 17, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 3: Falcons at Lions – Sunday, September 24, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 4: Falcons vs. Bills – Sunday, October 1, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 5: Bye
Week 6: Falcons vs. Dolphins – Sunday, October 15, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 7: Falcons at Patriots – Sunday, October 22, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 8: Falcons at Jets – Sunday, October 29, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 9: Falcons at Panthers – Sunday, November 5, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 10: Falcons vs. Cowboys – Sunday, November 12, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 11: Falcons at Seahawks – Monday, November 20, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 12: Falcons vs. Buccaneers – Sunday, November 26, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 13: Falcons vs. Vikings – Sunday, December 3, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 14: Falcons vs. Saints – Thursday, December 7, 8:25 p.m. ET
Week 15: Falcons at Buccaneers – Monday, December 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 16: Falcons at Saints – Sunday, December 24, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 17: Falcons vs. Panthers – Sunday, December 31, 1:00 p.m. ET
The Atlanta Falcons Will Be a Success If…
They avoid the Super Bowl runner-up curse. You don’t have to look far to find a team that went to the Super Bowl and then flopped the next season, as it happened to the Carolina Panthers last year. The Falcons would seem to be better prepared than the Panthers to avoid the curse, but there is no question it is something that has to be mentioned.
The Falcons had the Super Bowl in their grasp last year and then let their foot off the gas and blew a 28-3 lead in losing to the New England Patriots. Will that collapse be motivation for 2017 or will it be an excuse to underperform?
The Falcons fired defensive coordinator Richard Smith and promoted Marquand Manuel. Was that an overreaction? The team went out and added speed on defense, as they took Takkarist McKinley in the NFL Draft and they signed Dontari Poe. The Falcons lost linebackers Paul Worrilow and Sean Weatherspoon, so the secondary may be forced to make more tackles in 2017.
The Atlanta Falcons Will Be a Failure If…
Steve Sarkisian doesn’t duplicate what Kyle Shanahan did. The Falcons led the league in offense last season under Shanahan, so all Sarkisian has to do is drive the bus. Sarkisian said he would not change anything from last season, but it will be up to him to fix anything that goes wrong. It is extremely difficult to lead the league in offense in consecutive seasons. Just look at the Carolina Panthers from 2016 to see what can happen.
The Falcons do have an elite quarterback in Matt Ryan who threw for 4,944 yards and 38 TDs last season and some great talent around him including Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman. The Falcons benefited greatly last season from no injuries on their offensive line, as all five linemen started all 16 regular seasons games. It may not be as smooth for the Falcons this season, as Chris Chester retired and Sarkisian will be under immediate pressure if things start to go wrong.
Atlanta Falcons 2017 Predictions
The Falcons probably overachieved last season in making it all the way to the Super Bowl and rarely do teams have everything go right in consecutive seasons. The change in offensive coordinators is the first red flag, as it will be next to impossible for Sarkisian to do what Shanahan did last season. The Falcons also benefited from most of their star players staying healthy and that may not happen again in 2017. Atlanta will have a target on their back in 2017 and they are not helped at all by an early bye in Week 5.
A fast start is a must for Atlanta, as after their bye they face a brutal stretch with games against the Patriots, Panthers, Cowboys and Seahawks in a six-week stretch. History has shown that Super Bowl runner-ups struggle the following year and that may mean an 8-8 or 9-7 season for the 2017 Atlanta Falcons.
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