Atlanta Falcons expected to ‘take a big step forward’ in 2024

There are many reasons to be optimistic about Atlanta Falcons entering the 2024 season. Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports seems to like the arrival of quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​the most.

Kerr maintained that Cousins ​​is the main reason he included the Falcons on a list of five teams ready to take a “big step forward” this fall.

“The Falcons were one quarterback away from becoming a major player in the NFC South,” Kerr wrote.. “They decided to add two quarterbacks to the fray, signing Kirk Cousinsto to a four-year contract and drafting Michael Penix Jr. 8th overall in the draft.

“While the Cousins-Penix dynamic may be an issue, Falcons quarterbacks were only 28th in completion percentage, 28th in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns over the past two seasons. will improve with Cousins, who was fifth in completion percentage (70%), second in passing yards (2,331) and tied for first in passing touchdowns (18) over the eight first weeks of last season (Achilles injury in week 9).

Desmond Ridder saved 4 winning drives for the Falcons last season. But Atlanta also lost four games in which it held a lead going into the final minute.

If all else is equal, the Falcons will be a playoff team if they simply benefit from better game management at quarterback late in this season.

Cousins, however, is more than just a game manager. He has been a perennial Pro Bowler over the past decade. He recently made the Pro Bowl with 4,547 passing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2022.

The Falcons haven’t had a Pro Bowl quarterback since Matt Ryan’s MVP season in 2016.

But in addition to Cousins, Kerr likes the additions of receivers Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore. Kerr also seemed confident that new head coach Raheem Morris would get more out of Atlanta’s defense this season.

This is the defense that has blown four last-minute leads in 2023.

“This team is closer to the playoffs than many think,” concluded Kerr.

The Falcons were one of two NFC teams included by Kerr on his list of five teams poised to make a “major leap” in 2024. The other NFC team was the Green Bay Packers.

The AFC’s Houston Texans, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals also made the list.