10 NFL teams doomed to be worse in 2016

The 2015 Atlanta Falcons essentially turned a cakewalk of a schedule into a crippling, will-sapping gauntlet. And while Atlanta “improved” to 8-8 under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons pass rush was still arguably the worst in the league. Now, owing to a far-more-brutal 2016 schedule, Atlanta faces an uphill battle in trying to make the most of its formidable — and young — offensive core.

Atlanta has to play six NFC South games, the NFC West, the AFC West, the Green Bay Packers, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Simply put, Quinn can’t afford to go 1-5 in NFC South play again and still be in good standing with the organization. The NFC South may fluctuate in divisional relevancy, but it’s been historically difficult to come out of it unscathed. With rough West Coast road trips and strong teams in the NFC South, Atlanta will be lucky if it gets back to .500 in 2016.

While the Falcons still have one of the better offensive lines in football, tailor made for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s patented zone blocking scheme, one question lingers larger than the rest: Are franchise quarterback Matt Ryan’s best days already behind him?

Ryan struggled in transitioning from Dirk Koetter’s Air Coryell to Shanahan’s West Coast offense in 2015, committing more turnovers and looking as lost as he did at times during his rookie year in 2008. Atlanta should be able to run the ball, but the aerial attack has to be more than Julio Jones catching everything within eye shot if the Falcons are to strike some semblance of offensive balance.

Defensively, Quinn at least seems to have the right schematics in place. Still, it remains unclear whether general manager Thomas Dimitroff has done enough to give Quinn the kind of players that can thrive in the 4-3 under base, let alone the nickel packages Quinn and defensive coordinator Richard Smith use 65 percent of the time.

Could Atlanta be better in the intangibles in 2016? Yes, but their brutal schedule, complete lack of a pass rush, and inferior defensive talent all conspire to make the Falcons a .500-ish team at best this fall.

Next: 6. Buffalo Bills.