Here’s what every NFL team’s grade is at midseason
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons entered the 2018 season with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Unfortunately, a combination of poor play and bad injury luck currently has them in last place in the NFC South with a record of 3-4. A late playoff run for Atlanta isn’t impossible, but it’s pretty unlikely.
Almost all of the good news about their season to date may be found on the offensive side of the football. Matt Ryan is having a nice, but unspectacular year. Julio Jones is racking up a ton of receiving yards, but he’s still allergic to the end zone. Having 53 catches for 812 yards and zero touchdowns is pretty hard to do.
The team may have found two new offensive stars as well. Calvin Ridley looks like the real deal. He’s almost certainly the top wideout in his draft class. Tevin Coleman has also done a more than adequate job of filling in for Devonta Freeman. These things all bode well for the Falcons’ future.
Unfortunately, their defense has struggled to stop anyone with any sort of consistency. The injuries to Keanu Neal and Deion Jones have absolutely been a factor, but there should be more depth on the roster. Add it all up and it’s a pretty disappointing campaign for a team that really believed they had what it took to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.