There was no third straight playoff appearance for the Atlanta Falcons in 2018. Can this recent Super Bowl participant get back on the postseason track?
A third consecutive trip to the playoffs just wasn’t in the cards for Dan Quinn’s Atlanta Falcons. A Super Bowl appearance in 2016 and a wild-card berth the following year added up to this being the only team in the NFC to make two straight postseason appearances in ’18. But numerous injuries on the defensive side of the ball were one of the big reasons the Falcons wound up finishing 7-9 this past year.
Regardless, the team parted ways with both their offensive and defensive coordinators. Quinn will handle the latter while Dirk Koetter returns to the organization to handle quarterback Matt Ryan and the team’s explosive attack.
When the Atlanta Falcons’ schedule is announced, we will update immediately. Here are the team’s 2019 opponents, home and away.
Home: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans
Away: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers
Here is how the complete schedule, week-by-week, lays out for the Atlanta Falcons:
Week 1: Opponent and time TBA
Week 2: Opponent and time TBA
Week 3: Opponent and time TBA
Week 4: Opponent and time TBA
Week 5: Opponent and time TBA
Week 6: Opponent and time TBA
Week 7: Opponent and time TBA
Week 8: Opponent and time TBA
Week 9: Opponent and time TBA
Week 10: Opponent and time TBA
Week 11: Opponent and time TBA
Week 12: Opponent and time TBA
Week 13: Opponent and time TBA
Week 14: Opponent and time TBA
Week 15: Opponent and time TBA
Week 16: Opponent and time TBA
Week 17: Opponent and time TBA
Once again, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and the franchise did not invest too heavily when it came to free agency. But the club does have new starting guards in James Carpenter (New York Jets) and Jamon Brown (New York Giants). And the Falcons recently welcomed back defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who spent this past season with the New England Patriots.
Dimitroff has nine draft choices to work with in late April, including the 14th overall selection and a pair of picks in both the fourth and fifth round. Focusing on depth for the defense would not be a bad move for a team which saw its 2018 season derailed by injuries on that side of the ball.