Non-RedZone games: 10/10 vs. Jets (at London), 11/18 vs. Patriots
Vegas O/U: 7.5 wins
Does that make sense? Take any back-to-back games on the Falcons’ schedule, and it really feels like they win one and lose one. That means either 9-8 or 8-9, which would be over. But then you have to factor in that they’ll assuredly Falcons a game or two, either on their own or with help from horrendous officiating, and that gets you somewhere between 6-10 and 8-9. So, yes, it makes sense, and no, you should not do a season-long Falcons bet unless you like pain.
Best fantasy player: WR Calvin Ridley
Vibes: Well, there’s no more Julio Jones, but that means there’s also no more Falcons wasting Julio Jones’ career. They were way more talented than a 4-12 team last year, but also had Dan Quinn coaching the first five games. Do we know anything about new coach Arthur Smith? We do not, and absolutely had to Google “Atlanta Falcons coach.” But the defensive coordinator is Dean Pees, and he always seems to do a good job because there’s been a lot of playoff games over the years where they’ve cut to a shot of him and everyone’s had a good laugh that this man’s name is Dean Pees.
TL;DR: Probably not gonna get a Dean Pees playoff appearance this year, but the NFC South can be weird. It feels wrong, but the Falcons look kind of averagely mediocre instead of shockingly good or bad?