Jim Powers NFL Season Preview:
Head coach Dan Quinn saved his job by leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 6-2 record over the last half of the 2019 season. Falcons season props may therefore take on an optimistic note. Quinn was written off after the team started 1-7, but led a turnaround that allowed him to keep his gig. His team proved resilient despite no chance to make the playoffs following their midseason bye week, which may bode well for their 2020 futures odds.
Quinn’s seat is still warm coming into the 2020 season, but he’s under pressure to take the team to the postseason in order to keep his job. Atlanta is seen as the third-best team in the NFC South by most analysts coming into the season. Atlanta Falcons season specials expect the team will hover around the same 7-9 mark they’ve managed over the last two years. Expectations have them nowhere near the league’s best. It remains to be seen whether they can rebound and return to their 2016-2017 form. Learn how to bet all NFL odds, point spreads and more.
2020 Futures: Falcons’ Regular-Season Win Total
Over 7.5 -125 Under 7.5 +105
2020 Futures: Falcons’ Odds to Make Playoffs
Yes +225 No -286
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Gurley’s Arrival has Offense Enthused
Matt Ryan has been very consistent during his time with the Falcons. He has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in nine straight seasons as one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the league. Ryan is 35, but has shown no signs of slowing down. It helps that he has one of the most talented receiving corps in the NFL to target.
Julio Jones is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Jones was one catch shy of his fourth season with 100 receptions. The seven-time All-Pro has led the league in yards per game in three of the last five years. He already has more than 12,000 receiving yards in his career, and he provides Ryan with a reliable target. Fading the Falcons on 2020 Futures odds likely means you believe Jones has begun a career slide.
Management got him a tag-team partner in 2018 first-round pick Calvin Ridley, who became a solid second option last year. Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper left via free agency, creating a void. Atlanta brought in Hayden Hurst to give Ryan another reliable pass catcher over the middle.
Long-time running back Devonta Freeman left the team in the offseason, but the Falcons may have upgraded at the position. It remains to be seen how much juice Todd Gurley has left after leaving the Rams, signing an incentive-laden contract as a free agent. Gurley, a University of Georgia product was one of the top rushers in the NFL before knee problems set in. A healthy Gurley would strike fear into defenses, but he rushed for a career-low 857 yards in 2019.
Falcons’ Defense Out to Avoid Slow Start
This front lost Vic Beasley and leading tackler De’Vondre Campbell in the offseason. That will put the pressure on 2017 first-round pick Takk McKinley to get to the quarterback, but he has struggled to have an effect in three seasons. He has 16.5 sacks with the Falcons, but hasn’t been great in run defense.
Deion Jones is still one of the top inside linebackers in the league when healthy. He was rated the NFL’s fourth-best linebacker over the last three seasons by Pro Football Focus, and is superb in pass coverage. Dante Fowler Jr. was signed in the offseason to bolster this unit too. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris would love to see him get to the quarterback if McKinley’s struggles continue. Atlanta Falcons season specials available at BetMGM have placed implied odds of over 74 percent on the team missing the playoffs.
The Falcons have great safeties. Keanu Neal took a step back in 2019, but still has elite talent. Ricardo Allen is a nice complement. Unfortunately, the cornerbacks have struggled. That led to Atlanta selecting Clemson’s A.J. Terrell in the first round, and there will be a lot of hopes placed on the rookie.
Falcons’ Schedule Features Brady Reunions
It’s going to be a rough first four weeks of the season for Atlanta. The Falcons will likely be favored just once (at home against Chicago), and they also have the disadvantage of playing the second-best teams in the NFC West and NFC East from last year.
Cam Newton is no longer in Carolina, but Tom Brady’s move to Tampa Bay means the Falcons will have a pair of showdowns with the quarterback who led a Super Bowl LI comeback from 28-3 deficit. That collapase has haunted the championship-starved city of Atlanta and the Falcons’ franchise since. Brady beat Atlanta in New England 23-7 in 2017 in the lone meeting since that historic Super Bowl Sunday.
Atlanta will also have to play every team from the NFC North and AFC West. There is only one truly “bad” team (Detroit) among those eight opponents. That doesn’t bode well for the ‘over’ when betting Falcons’ props.
The Falcons will hit the road for games in Dallas, Green Bay and Minnesota over the first six weeks, which makes getting off to a strong start at home is a must. Atlanta hosts Seattle in a riveting Week 1 opener.
2020 Futures: Atlanta Falcons Prediction
Those bullish on the Falcons may contend the NFC South won’t be as tough as people are being led to believe since Drew Brees and Brady are both in their 40s and have clearly lost a little something in the last couple years. Tampa Bay may be incredibly overvalued coming into the 2020 season.
That gives Atlanta fans some hope that this team can finish above .500 and make the playoffs. The defense needs to take a step forward for this franchise to return to the postseason. The team is likely to win seven or eight games, so there is a slight lean to the ‘under’ at positive odds in many Atlanta Falcons season specials.
