Michael Penix Jr.'s optimistic finish has not ended overarching doubt in the Falcons

For as much hope and promise as Michael Penix Jr. has provided to Dirty Bird Nation, there is a reason why the odds are not in the Atlanta Falcons' favor to reach Super Bowl 60 next year. Iain MacMillan of Sports Illustrated outlined that the Falcons have +6000 odds of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy next season. This has them with the 18th best odds to do so during the 2025 NFL season.

And for as much as my fellow Falcons fan Iain and I would love nothing more than to see Atlanta win its first Super Bowl Championship before we turn 40, I think we both would say this team is at best a dark horse contender to do so. Any time the Falcons have gone to a Super Bowl, it has caught the rest of the NFL world by surprise. Atlanta does not build gradually. When it wins, it wins big quickly.

Where I totally agree with MacMillan in his assessment of our beloved NFL franchise is that for as good as the offensive weaponry is in Atlanta, there are major concerns about the viability of the defense, as well as the high-end capabilities of the coaching staff. The team's strength and two concerns of note have been consistencies with this team throughout most of my entire adult life.

That being said, I think we would be foolish to cross Atlanta off entirely as a playoff team next year.

Michael Penix Jr. is not helping Atlanta Falcons' slim Super Bowl chances

Over the last few years, general manager Terry Fontenot has accumulated quite a bit of talent on the offensive side of the ball in Atlanta by way of the NFL Draft. Penix, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Tyler Allgeier and even inconsistent tight end Kyle Pitts are all homegrown products. Fontenot has drafted all of them, but he has routinely missed on evaluating defensive talent in day two of the draft.

This has put a damper on the Falcons' upward trajectory as a franchise. Their inability to get off the field and generate any pressure whatsoever on the quarterback is a recipe for disaster Dirty Bird Nation has seen manifest for far too long. With this being the second year of a new coaching regime, we can only hope Raheem Morris, Zac Robinson and Jeff Ulbrich will make up the difference this year.

Truth be told, I would be pleasantly surprised if the Falcons were playing in an NFC Championship Game, let alone going to and winning the Super Bowl. The goal for next year should be to win the NFC South and get the first playoff victory inside of glorious Mercedes-Benz Stadium to date. For that to happen, Penix will need to grow and mature in year two. The same thing applies to the coaching staff.

The defense is still a work in progress, but the bones of this Falcons roster are better than expected.

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