The 3 Biggest Threats to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC

It’s been a while since we’ve seen this much hype around the Atlanta Falcons. While they had some last year, they haven’t reached the level they’ve reached this year after the arrival of Kirk Cousins.

The expectations are clear for this team: make the playoffs. There are no more excuses, it’s time to go for it.

The NFL is the most competitive league there is; anything can happen on any given Sunday. The Falcons will have to battle against good teams throughout the season and bounce the ball in their direction on multiple occasions.

Let’s look at the three teams that will challenge the Falcons for NFC supremacy in late January.

1. The San Francisco 49ers

It’s an easy choice. The 49ers have a proven team, a quality quarterback, offensive playmakers, a stifling defense and one of the three best offensive leaders in the game.

Kyle Shanahan’s team has plenty of weapons at its disposal. They are favored to win the conference title, which means we could see another Falcons-49ers matchup in the NFC Championship.

It would be a lot of fun to see these two former division rivals face off for the right to travel to their current division rival’s stadium in New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

2. Detroit Lions

Playing against the Lions is a tough mix of physicality and finesse. Not only do they have David Montgomery and an offensive line that can run the ball down any defense’s throat, but they also have Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown who can beat you in the air.

Their defense isn’t bad either. They know how to compete with anyone on a football field and that will make it difficult for the Falcons to get past a team that will inevitably play late in the playoffs.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles had a great start to the season, but it all turned into a disaster in the playoffs. They spent their offseason addressing obvious flaws that should put them back in contention.

The Falcons are scheduled to travel to Philadelphia in Week 3, which will be a good indicator after playing at home against the Super Champions Chiefs in Week 2. It will be a hostile environment that will show us if this rising team can weather the storms.

Stopping the running game will be key if the Falcons are to get past a team they couldn’t get past the last time they made the playoffs.