1 Atlanta Falcons
The biggest question facing the Falcons is, What will the offense look like under new coordinator STEVE SARKISIAN? In spring there was talk of adding new wrinkles, but doing so is a dangerous game. On the one hand, the fastest way to fall behind in the NFL is to not evolve. On the other, how much do you want to change an offense that last year was one of the greatest in NFL history?
• Under OC Kyle Shanahan (now the 49ers' head coach), the Falcons' ground game and aerial attack were in perfect sync. The outside zone run blocking naturally helped sell the play-action game, which Atlanta used a league-high 27% of the time, according to Football Outsiders. This helped turn shrewd field surveyor MATT RYAN into the MVP.
• Expect to see TEVIN COLEMAN and DEVONTA FREEMAN on the field together more often. Both are top 10 NFL ballcarriers, and both can split out wide and win as receivers. With both backs out there, defenses will struggle to identify which players to put on the field, let alone what coverage to call.
• The Falcons made Super Bowl LI because their young defense improved drastically. After allowing 28.3 points a game before their Week 11 bye, they gave up just 22.0 (including playoffs). The improvements were most apparent in the middle. Rookie linebackers DEION JONES and DE'VONDRE CAMPBELL and rookie strong safety KEANU NEAL were much sharper mentally. Offenses had been attacking them with deep routes by inside receivers; once they figured out how to recognize those plays, the whole D stepped up.
• Amazingly, Atlanta's secondary performed better after DESMOND TRUFANT, a top five all-around corner, went down with a torn left pectoral in Week 9. JALEN COLLINS performed well outside, and ROBERT ALFORD traveled with No. 1 receivers all over, including into the slot. In fact, he outplayed Julian Edelman in Super Bowl LI. Collins has been suspended 10 games for a PED violation, but the Falcons still have quality depth with BRIAN POOLE and DEJI OLATOYE. Expect Quinn to call on multiple backups. Last season he increasingly played man coverage and used a four-cornerback dime package.
"BOTH FREEMAN AND COLEMAN ARE TOP 10 BALLCARRIERS WHO CAN SPLIT OUT WIDE AND WIN AS RECEIVERS."
SI'S 2017 PREDICTION
12--4
2016 RECORD 11--5
SEPT. 10
AT CHI
SEPT. 17
VS. GB
SEPT. 24
AT DET
OCT. 1
VS. BUF
BYE
OCT. 15
VS. MIA
OCT. 22
AT NE
OCT. 29
AT NYJ
NOV. 5
AT CAR
NOV. 12
VS. DAL
NOV. 20
MONDAY
AT SEA
NOV. 26
VS. TB
DEC. 3
VS. MIN
DEC. 7
THURSDAY
VS. NO
DEC. 18
MONDAY
AT TB
DEC. 24
AT NO
DEC. 31
VS. CAR
Position Rankings
QB
4
SKILL
3
Strength
OL
7
FRONT 7
14
DBs
5
ANDY BENOIT'S 400 MMQB ON.SI.COM/400
9 JULIO JONES WR
28 MATT RYAN QB
32 ALEX MACK C
44 DESMOND TRUFANT CB
91 TEVIN COLEMAN RB
92 DEVONTA FREEMAN RB
114 VIC BEASLEY DE
116 JAKE MATTHEWS T
131 RYAN SCHRAEDER T
168 GRADY JARRETT DT
184 ROBERT ALFORD CB
216 KEANU NEAL SS
230 DEION JONES LB
271 DONTARI POE NT
295 JALEN COLLINS CB
399 TAYLOR GABRIEL WR