NFL 2016: Regular season grades for every team
By John Buhler
Few outside of the Peach State thought much of anything of the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. After beginning the 2015 season at 5-0, Atlanta sank to 8-8 last year, finishing on a terrible 3-8 skid. Quarterback Matt Ryan started to lose supporters, head coach Dan Quinn was on the hot seat, and both general manager Thomas Dimitroff and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan were about to be run out of town.
Atlanta had a brutal 2016 schedule in drawing both the AFC West and NFC West this year. The Falcons got off to a 4-2 start with big wins in Oakland, New Orleans, and Denver. Eventually, the Atlanta offense became one of the greatest in NFL history, scoring over 500 points in its first 15 games.
Ryan became an MVP candidate and Shanahan emerged as a likely candidate for a head coaching gig. Dimitroff and Quinn seem to be on the same page in terms of building this team. Even the defense improved with solid play from youngsters like pass rusher Vic Beasley, linebacker Deion Jones, and strong safety Keanu Neal.
Atlanta won the NFC South for the first time in four seasons and the Falcons are one of eight teams that can legitimately win Super Bowl 51. The Falcons had a massively successful season, but still need a playoff win to subdue their harsh critics. It’s all about matchups at this point for the 2016 playoff-bound Falcons.