4. Atlanta Falcons
The 2016 Atlanta Falcons were an impressive team. They had the league MVP in quarterback Matt Ryan and an impressive trio at wideout in Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Taylor Gabriel. There was also a two-headed monster at running back in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.
Defensively, Vic Beasley was stellar as was rookie linebacker Deion Jones who had 106 tackles, three interceptions, and two returns for touchdowns.
As far as their coaching staff, it was a great mixture as Kyle Shanahan controlled the offense as coordinator and head coach Dan Quinn was a defensive mastermind who got the most out of a young unit.
However, they ended up falling short of their goal as they blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl — in what was the most epic collapse of all-time. Shanahan has since left and while they made the playoffs in 2017, they weren’t the same team. They took another step back in 2018 and missed the playoffs altogether.
Now facing a huge season, Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff are hoping that some tweaks to the offensive line will help them get back on track offensively. They no longer had Tevin Coleman or Taylor Gabriel, but they believe in Ito Smith and Calvin Ridley as replacements.
Should those two be up for expanded roles in 2019 — and if Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary can shore up the line — then the Falcons could be back in contention for the playoffs following the 2019 season.