Are the Atlanta Falcons the NFL’s biggest mystery?

Arthur Smith’s club looks like it has made great strides from a year ago. But are the Atlanta Falcons good enough to reach the NFL postseason?

It has been more than a rough few years for a club that reached the Super Bowl in 2016 and followed that up with a playoff appearance and postseason win a year later. It was a two-year stretch in which the team owned a combined 21-11 regular-season record to go along with a 3-2 playoff mark.

But entering this season, the Atlanta Falcons had posted four consecutive losing campaigns. It added up to a 25-40 mark and it came under the guidance of head coaches Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris (interim), and current sideline leader Arthur Smith.

The latter made his debut as an NFL head coach in 2021 and led the Falcons to a 7-10 finish. But there was really some ugly football on too many occasions. Each of the team’s seven victories was by eight points or less. On the other hand, eight of Atlanta’s 10 setbacks were by double digits. Smith’s squad finished with a dismal minus-146 scoring differential.

But things have been somewhat different this year. At the very least, Smith’s club has been a lot more competitive in 2022. And there have been impressive wins at Seattle and over the 49ers. Four of the club’s six setbacks have been by only six points or less.

Here lies the question. Are the Falcons capable of putting together a winning streak that could propel them into the playoffs for the first time since 2017? Twice the team has managed to reach the .500 mark. But in a five-day span, Smith’s club let one get away at home against the Chargers (20-17) and couldn’t stop the Panthers from running the ball down their throats on a Thursday night at Charlotte. This Sunday, the Falcons host the explosive but slumping Chicago Bears.

So are the Falcons a playoff team? They certainly could be in the disappointing NFC where only six teams own winning records entering Week 11. Quarterback Marcus Mariota has had his ups and downs. And the Atlanta defense has given up the second-most yards per game in the league and 28 offensive TDs in 10 games. When it’s all said and done, this is a club that’s far too difficult to figure out on a weekly basis.