Are the Atlanta Falcons for real?

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Are the Atlanta Falcons for real? The jury is out, but their division is weak regardless. Facing a puzzling opponent in the New York Giants, an Atlanta loss sends them home for good. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in part two of this week’s TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

[Part one – How long until the Raiders are good?]

DAN:

We all know what happened last season in Atlanta. The Falcons sucked. They followed up five straight winning seasons (three straight with double digit wins) by mustering only four victories and twelve losses in 2013. Matt Ryan has been at the helm of all of those aforementioned seasons and this year he’s already got his team half way to last season’s win total.

It was pretty much a given that the Falcons would be better, but are they for real? Are they a playoff team? At 2-2 they face the equally perplexing 2-2 New York Giants this Sunday in a week 5 matchup in New York. I don’t have a solid read on either team, but since we already pegged the G-men as awful, my focus is on Atlanta.

They squeaked past New Orleans, who now looks like a bad team. They lost to a very solid Bengals squad, defeated a rather poor Tampa Bay team (at least so far), and lost again to a Vikings team that probably isn’t good either. So where does this leave Atlanta heading into the Meadowlands?

Defeating the Giants doesn’t elevate the Falcons, it only proves the Giants are average like we thought. Losing to the Giants certainly sinks Atlanta a bit while further raising the stock on a New York team that is hot and cold.

Atlanta confuses me. They look amazing and then they don’t. Their division is not exactly formidable, so the Falcons could edge out Carolina by default. But I say this team is not for real; not truly back to being a dominant playoff contender.

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TODD:

What a mess the NFC South is turning into. The Carolina Panthers’ vaunted defense has gone to hell in recent weeks, and their running backs are crumbling one after another; New Orleans can’t stop anyone and doesn’t look as potent on offense as it should; is it crazy I still like my preseason darling Tampa Bay? I know it’s crazy, you don’t have to answer that. As for the Falcons…

The bounce-back from last season was inevitable. The problems of this year’s squad are also pretty evident: the defense is atrocious.

The only teams who’ve allowed more yards than Atlanta are Minnesota, Jacksonville and Green Bay. And guess what? Minnesota and Green Bay have each played an extra game! It’s just the Falcons and the lowly Jaguars at the bottom of the pit. They’re giving up over 28 points per game, and the only reason they have a positive point differential on the year is the offense has been so good.

So it’s all pretty simple. Atlanta games will be shoot-outs, and the Falcons might win if they limit mistakes and get the ball last. With Matt Ryan playing the best football of his career, that’s not out of the realm of possibility.

In Sunday’s match with New York though, I’m as befuddled as you are. The Giants seem to be learning their new offense at a record clip, but the team still seems to be standing on shaky ground. Maybe it’s the fact that Victor Cruz seems to drop a big third-down pass every half. Maybe it’s that the o-line isn’t affording Manning time to survey like he used to in past years. Maybe the linebackers are finally so bad it’s rubbing off on the rest of the starting defenders. I’d like to say the Giants are finally a known quantity after a month, but I can’t.

Atlanta is known at least. I think they are left outside of the playoff picture come season’s end even if Matt Ryan continues playing well. Of course, I still have no idea who’s going to win this game Sunday afternoon. Let’s just say my opinion of the Falcons won’t shift no matter the result.

[If you missed Part one – How long until the Raiders are good?]

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