By Samir Ajy
As the Atlanta Falcons enter the 2025 NFL season, they will celebrate their 60th anniversary as
an NFL franchise and look to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2017. As is the case
every season, there is a great deal of excitement among all 32 fan bases for the return of
football, combined with anticipation about how their team will perform this season. The Atlanta
Falcons fanbase is no exception, and there is much to be excited about, as the team fields a
combination of young talent and proven veterans on both sides of the ball.
However, major media outlets are not ready to buy into the hype. The team’s over/under win
total for this season is set at 7.5 wins. Fox’s Ralph Vacchiano ranked the Falcons 25th out of 32
teams on his preseason power rankings. The ranking caught the ire of many local fans and
media pundits.
The media is not quite sold on the Falcons. Truth is, why should they be? What has this team
done to earn or deserve the benefit of the doubt from outsiders and national media outlets? If
Falcons fans are hoping for individuals such as Vacchiano to show respect to the improvements
made to the roster this offseason in preseason rankings, it is up to the team to earn that respect
on the field. The Falcons are not a “heritage team” like the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Green Bay
Packers, two teams with a track record of success that spans decades. They also do not have a
track record of recent success, as the team has not made the playoffs in eight years, which is
currently the third-longest postseason drought in franchise history and tied with the division rival
Carolina Panthers for the second-longest active drought in the NFL. For example, the Detroit
Lions lost both of their offensive and defensive coordinators, along with Kevin Zeitler and Frank
Ragnow, delivering a blow to what has been one of the best offensive lines in football.
Vacchiano still has them ranked ninth in his preseason power rankings. The team’s over/under
is also projected at around 10 wins. The Lions have gone 36-15 since 2022 and still field one of
the NFC’s most complete rosters.
Likewise, the lack of certainty under center plays a significant role in media-based preseason
projections. As a Falcons fan, I am ALL IN on Michael Penix Jr. as our next franchise
quarterback. However, in the eyes of the national media, he is viewed as an unknown
commodity, due to the fact that he has only played in three games and thrown for three
touchdowns and three interceptions. They do not account for the fact that two of those three
interceptions were not Penix’s fault. The Falcons entered the 2024 season with an over/under
set at 8.5 wins, primarily due to the known commodity that was Kirk Cousins. The Commanders,
on the other hand, entered at just 6.5, mainly due to the unknown commodity that was then
rookie Jayden Daniels.
2025 is a pivotal year for just about everyone in the Falcons organization, as the team once
again enters this season with a legitimate shot at winning the vulnerable NFC South division.
One could argue that they could have won it in 2023 and 2024. The problem: whether it be due
to subpar quarterback play, a lackluster pass rush, a sketchy draft record, or coaching-related
mishaps, they just can’t get out of their own way. Until they break through and find themselves
playing meaningful football in January, why should an analyst such as Vacchiano give them any
leeway? Former legendary head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells had a
saying: “You are what your record says you are.” The Falcons’ 47-68 record since 2018
suggests that the best — and likely only — way for this Falcons team to earn the respect their
fan base yearns for is by winning football games.
If you ask any member of the organization, from a head coach and general manager who likely
need to win this year to keep their jobs, to the roster that is looking to snap a lengthy playoff
drought, they would probably tell you the same thing.
