The Atlanta Falcons enter this year with expectations from the outside not being very high. Julio Jones was traded away in the offseason and there's a new head coach in town in Arthur Smith. Many believe it will take time for the Falcons to get back to being a constant in the playoffs even though they are in the late stages of Matt Ryan's career.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism including first round pick Kyle Pitts who should provide a huge spark for the offense.
Here are 3 bold predictions for the Falcons' 2021 season.
Mike Davis will rush for 1,000+ yards
Mike Davis has been a journeyman in the NFL as he's spent six years in the league with four different teams throughout his career.
Coming off his most productive season yet with the Carolina Panthers, Davis agreed to a deal in the offseason to join the Falcons.
Davis rushed for 642 yards (career best) on 165 carries (career high) for the Panthers a year ago. This year, those numbers should both go up in Atlanta.
The Falcons don't have much depth at all behind Davis with Cordarrelle Patterson and Wayne Gallman rounding out the group. Davis is the clear-cut No. 1 back in the Falcons and should be featured as a “bell-cow” type back.
It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Davis eclipse 200 carries this year and per this prediction, he will exceed 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career.
Atlanta may struggle to pile up wins which could lead to passing a lot while trailing late in games but Davis will see more than enough opportunity despite that and get to the 1,000 yard rushing mark.
Kyle Pitts will lead all rookies in receiving yards
This one does feel super bold but reference the above note: the Falcons will likely be playing from behind a lot this year thus they will be passing a ton.
Other first round rookies that could compete for the yardage title would include: Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Kadarius Toney. It doesn't include first round pick Rashod Bateman who is expected to miss much of the month of September to start the year.
Chase will be battling for looks with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins in the mix in Cincinnati and he's coming off a fairly poor preseason. Waddle will have to tug targets away from Will Fuller and DeVante Parker in Miami. Smith may see plenty of looks in Philadelphia but do we really trust Jalen Hurts to consistently get it to him? And in New York, the volume for Toney will be lower than the others mentioned at least from the start.
In Atlanta, the two dudes in the passing game will be Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts.
Arthur Smith spoke back in August via SI.com that the adjustments to the NFL could be tough at first for Pitts but he expects him to step up.
“It's not going to be perfect for him,” the coach said. “It's a foreign environment. Obviously, the competition's – everybody's pretty good in the NFL, the guys that play on Sundays, and you want to see how they adapt and it's not overreacting, keeping the big picture in sight, and you want to make sure that they're improving, and they're not just all of a sudden reaching a point where you're getting diminishing returns … Overall with this class, I'm pleased…You got to give him credit, give his parents credit. We did all the work pre-draft with Kyle, he's certainly more mature than I was at 20,” Smith said. “He's not a kid, he's a man.”
Expect that man to settle in as the season carries on for the Falcons and for him to top the charts in rookie receiving yardage once the season comes to an end.
Atlanta will finish second in the NFC South
Now let's note, this will be a distant second from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the Falcons.
But really, look around this division.
The New Orleans Saints won it last year. In the offseason: Drew Brees retired, Michael Thomas underwent surgery that will see him miss a large chunk of the season, their kicker Will Lutz is out and their homes to start the year will be played on a neutral field because of Hurricane Ida. Not exactly the best offseason for the Saints as Jameis Winston takes over as QB1.
In Carolina, Sam Darnold is in at quarterback but is that going to get the Panthers over the top? There are viable weapons on offense but can Christian McCaffrey stay healthy? He's the engine for that unit who missed most of last season.
The Falcons meanwhile bring back veteran Matt Ryan and added Kyle Pitts and Mike Davis to the offense in the offseason. Calvin Ridley is expected to have a monster year and while nobody is praising the Falcons as a playoff contender, the NFC South will end up being pretty weak.
Atlanta finishing in second in the NFC South isn't a far stretch. Write in the Falcons to claim that spot.
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