Fansided

NFC South: 5 things to look for in 2018

By Cody Rivera

Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 06: Atlanta Falcons (11) Julio Jones (WR) catches a pass and runs the ball into the endzone for a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams Safety John Johnson (43) in the fourth quarter during the NFC Wild Card football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams on January 06, 2018 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 06: Atlanta Falcons (11) Julio Jones (WR) catches a pass and runs the ball into the endzone for a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams Safety John Johnson (43) in the fourth quarter during the NFC Wild Card football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams on January 06, 2018 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Can Atlanta’s offense peak?

There is no reason why the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t have one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. Quarterback Matt Ryan was named MVP in 2016 after posting a passer rating of 117.1 – the best in the league. Meanwhile, Atlanta has one of the league’s three or four best receivers in Julio Jones. And running back Devonta Freeman, a two-time Pro Bowler and former NFL rushing touchdowns leader, brings a powerful running game.

This offensive unit had somewhat of an off year in 2017, and they still went 10-6. Ryan’s passer rating dropped down to 91.4. Jones struggled in the red zone and only wound up catching three touchdown passes all year – his lowest since 2013 when he only started five games. And Freeman failed to notch his third straight season with at least 1,000 rushing yards, as he was twice in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Atlanta could’ve had a drastically different result in last year’s playoffs had those three guys been in their top form, instead of bowing out to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. And since the Falcons failed to claim a championship last year, well… everybody knows that the nightmares of blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI aren’t going away anytime soon, not for the players and especially not for the long-tortured fans. It’s likely that getting back to the Super Bowl and closing it out this time is the only thing that can make those horrifying visions go away.

The Falcons have a chance to do that in 2018, but they need their offense to peak, and that means another MVP-like season from Ryan, and bounce-back seasons for his biggest weapons, Jones and Freeman.