NFL Betting Odds - Atlanta Falcons Season Recap

Home > Football Betting > NFL Betting > Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons Betting

Dan Quinn saved his job with Atlanta’s performance over the second half of 2019. The Falcons went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for a second straight year, but they recovered admirably after a 1-7 start. Atlanta won six of its final eight games, and it’s only two losses in that stretch were against NFC South champion New Orleans and mercurial Tampa Bay. That has Arthur Blank and Falcons’ fans optimistic about the potential for a turnaround in 2020, but Quinn will likely be given a mandate to make the postseason or get sacked.

Season Recap

Matt Ryan surpassed 50,000 career passing yards this season, throwing for at least 4,000 yards for the ninth straight year. He did it despite missing a game due to injury, but he averaged more passes per game than at any other point in his career. Ryan threw 616 passes in just 15 games, averaging 7.3 YPA as defenses stopped the run and forced him to move the chains through the air.

As always, his favorite target was Julio Jones. Jones had another standout season, establishing himself as the best receiver of the last decade. Jones has caught 797 passes for 12,125 yards and 57 touchdowns this decade, and he did it despite being drafted in 2011. Atlanta gave up a small fortune to go up and draft Jones that year, but he has repaid that investment with interest.

Atlanta dealt veteran receiver Mohamed Sanu to New England midway through the season, allowing its younger receivers an opportunity to grow. Calvin Ridley developed nicely after the trade, and he would have finished the year with 1,000 yards if he didn’t suffer a season-ending abdomen injury in mid-December. Tight end Austin Hooper would have finished around that milestone mark if he didn’t miss three games due to injury as well.

The Falcons had to be potent in the passing game since the run game didn’t do much in 2019. Devonta Freeman looked a step slow coming back from a major injury last year, and he averaged a career low 3.6 YPC. Brian Hill didn’t fare much better when given an opportunity to run, and Atlanta’s longest running play this year was 28 yards. They averaged just 85.1 YPG on the ground and fumbled four times, making this one of the most ineffective run games in the NFL.

The major problems for Atlanta were on defense. The Falcons had one of the worst defenses in the NFL through the first half of the season, and that appeared to spell doom for Quinn since he is a defensive minded coach. His decision to give up play calling duties helped immensely though, and the Falcons righted the ship somewhat over the latter half of the year.

The loss of hard-hitting safety Keanu Neal really hurt the secondary, and the lack of a solid pass rush was a problem too. Atlanta’s sack rate was the fourth worst in the NFL, and only Grady Jarrett and Vic Beasley Jr. finished the year with more than four sacks.

Jarrett and Beasley were solid against the run with both players registering double-digit tackles for loss, and standout linebacker Deion Jones was great in this department too. However, wholesale changes need to be made on this side of the ball, and we are likely to see many moves from the front office this offseason.

2020 Season Preview

Atlanta spent last year’s draft improving along the offensive line. The Falcons used first round picks on guard Chris Lindstrom and tackle Kaleb McGary, and they will be patient with those two young players.

This defense needs to be shaken up though, so expect the Falcons to address needs on that side of the ball this offseason. Atlanta has over $12 million in cap room after restructuring Ryan’s contract at the end of the regular season, so the franchise can’t make a huge splash by signing a major free agent. The Falcons will be hoping to address needs in the draft, but they will be drafting in the middle of each round after beating Tampa Bay in overtime to end the season. A loss would have earned Atlanta the 11th or 12th pick, so that victory could cost the Falcons in the 2020 NFL Draft.

2019 Atlanta Falcons Betting Schedule

Past Atlanta Falcons Seasons

Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NFL Betting Odds, NFL Betting Articles and information about this and all other sports betting events!