5 reasons the Atlanta Falcons are destined to win Super Bowl LI
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons have been very impressive in the first five weeks of the 2016 season. Here are five reasons Atlanta is destined to win Super Bowl LI.
Once again, the Atlanta Falcons are off to a hot start. Atlanta is 4-1 on the year with impressive wins over the Oakland Raiders, the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. With the rest of the NFC South struggling, it looks like the Falcons will win the 2016 divisional crown.
Then again, Atlanta started the 2015 out 5-0 and failed to reach the playoffs at 8-8. However, this is a different team than a year ago. Atlanta does have another tough road game in Week 6 versus the Seattle Seahawks, but might this be the year the Falcons get back to the Super Bowl?
It’s insanely early, but here are five reasons the 2016 Falcons might be a team of destiny and could reach Super Bowl LI in Houston.
5. Atlanta’s defense is improving
Let’s be real. The Falcons aren’t going to have an elite defense at any point of the 2016 NFL season. They don’t have the personnel to be a top 10 unit.
However, that doesn’t mean Atlanta will be all gloom-and-doom on that side of the ball. There is still plenty this defense can do to get better as the season progresses. It’s early, but it looks like the defense is starting to improve under head coach Dan Quinn’s leadership.
It was going to be a multi-year project for Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff to rebuild this Falcons defense. Atlanta only has one Pro Bowler on that side of the ball in cornerback Desmond Trufant. However, it does seem like the Falcons are a well-coached defense despite being below-average by NFL standards.
Effort will help this defense get tighter. Quinn has made it a priority for the Falcons to be a sound tackling football team. He has installed a rugby-style tackling program since his first year in Flowery Branch in 2015. It’s really starting to pay off. Atlanta doesn’t make every tackle, but the Falcons do strike their opponents with authority on defense.
Even last year, Atlanta did have ballhawking tendencies in its secondary. That unit is arguably the best part of the Falcons defense. The Falcons secondary will still have multiple dumb penalties a game, but isn’t afraid to compete with the best wideouts in football.
The linebacking corps is Atlanta’s weakest unit in terms of personnel. Injuries have diminished the already weak unit. However, the Falcons linebackers are well-coached by defensive coordinator Richard Smith and linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich. This is the area of the Falcons defense where competitiveness shines through the most.
Atlanta has been destroyed on the defensive side of the ball by its toothless pass rush. It seems that Quinn’s teachings are finally paying off in 2016. 2015 first-round pick Vic Beasley has looked exponentially better in 2016 and he has a great on-field mentor in Dwight Freeney.
Overall, Atlanta won’t be able to lean on its defense every week, but it’s good enough to help the Falcons reach and possibly win Super Bowl LI.