Despite boasting a bottom-five point differential in 2022, the Falcons were in the Wild Card hunt until they fell to the Bills on a snowy January day. Still, nobody confused last year’s team with a playoff contender. They were terrible in the trenches, on the perimeter, and even had lapses on the sideline — which tends to happen with a first-year head coach. However, they never stopped competing, and the 2022 season could look similar.
Seth Walder is an ESPN sports analytics writer who sees the NFL world through a computer, which can be helpful in certain situations. His predictive algorithm — the 2022 football power index — suggests Falcons fans could be in for another difficult season.
2022 Football Power Index ratings and rankings!
The rating itself indicates approximately how much better or worse — in points — that team is predicted to be, relative to an average NFL team on a neutral field.
It is a predictive rating. pic.twitter.com/9oDRKm8nKR
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) May 17, 2022
The Bears, Jets, and Texans are not who you want to be associated with in this league. Yet, the Falcons are right there with them. If these predictive ratings are even remotely accurate, Atlanta will once again be selecting in the top ten of the 2023 NFL draft. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, though.
The Falcons got worse at the most important position in the sport — quarterback. The offensive line, one of the worst units in the league in pass protection, has yet to be upgraded. And while the pass rush was addressed, it could be a couple of seasons before we see the picks of Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone begin to pay off. The reality is the Falcons have a bad roster, so a four to six-win season is likely where they are headed.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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