Can the Falcons Finally Dethrone the Bucs in the NFC South?

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Can the Falcons Finally Dethrone the Bucs in the NFC South?

Luke Easterling · Athlon Sports

Fri, Jun 6, 2025 ·

5 min read

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Can the Falcons Finally Dethrone the Bucs in the NFC South? originally appeared on Athlon Sports .

The 2016 season still lives in infamy for the Atlanta Falcons , thanks to that 28-3 lead that disappeared in Super Bowl LI against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots .

It also marked the last time the Dirty Birds won the NFC South.

The New Orleans Saints ran the show for the next four years, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done the same over the last four.

Last year, the Falcons were sitting pretty at 6-3 halfway through the season, but dropped six of their final eight games, leaving the door open for a streaking Bucs team to rally and steal the division title yet again on their way to a fifth straight playoff berth, while Atlanta missed the postseason for the seventh year in a row.

Despite the disappointing finish to the 2024 campaign, the Falcons showed promising signs of life once they benched struggling veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. , the No. 8 overall pick in last year's draft. As they look to dethrone Tampa Bay in 2025, the development of their new franchise quarterback is they key to returning them to the top of the division.

Kirk Cousins' struggles kept the Falcons from closing the deal in the NFC South last season.© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

On the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Greg Auman of Fox Sports to talk about how Penix and some key offseason additions could finally put Atlanta over the top.

"A lot falls on Penix," Auman said. "I think he bears the brunt of it. Everything's back on offense, for the most part. Cousins was, at times, a great quarterback last season. You look at those two games against the Bucs, that was huge. But then you look at that four-game skid, and I think he had eight interceptions and no touchdowns during that stretch. One of the worst four-game stretches a quarterback has ever had, period.

Penix will have plenty of explosive weapons around him, but it remains to be seen whether or not he can be a consistent producer at the game's most important position.

"So, where does Penix fall in the middle of that spectrum? Is he a 25-touchdown guy? Is he a 20-touchdown, rush for eight touchdowns kind of guy? Absolutely, he has the offensive talent around him," Auman said. "He's got multiple top-10 picks all around him, maybe for the last time. Kyle Pitts , Bijan Robinson , Drake London . . . I think (Darnell) Mooney was one of the better stories of last season, in terms of being a good value signing that stepped up in a big way, as the solid WR2 they haven't had in a while. The offensive line is mostly back intact."

Drake London is one of many weapons Michael Penix Jr. will have at his disposal.© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Outside of Penix, there are still some concerns on defense, but the Falcons invested some premium resources into those areas this offseason, particularly through the draft. They spent their original first-round pick on do-it-all linebacker/edge rusher Jalon Walker , then made a bold move by trading next year's first-rounder to land another pass-rushing stud in James Pearce Jr. a handful of picks later. They followed that up by stealing dynamic safety Xavier Watts in the third round.

"The defense is still a question mark," Auman said. "They've changed coordinators, they've changed a decent amount of personnel. Up front, I think they went out of their way to over-address the pass rush, which has been a glaring need and a weak spot. It's a little unnerving that your top two sack guys could both be rookies, but I thought Walker was great value there. I thought he'd be a guy who was gone in the top 10. For him to fall to 15 was great. Clearly, they overpaid to get Pearce, but if they believe in him that much . . . to have two young edge rushers on cheap rookie deals, it makes life easier. Safety was a need position, and Watts should be able to jump right in, even as a third-round pick, and be a starter for them, and hopefully an impact player. He's a ballhawk."

There are plenty of reasons for Falcons fans to be optimistic heading into the 2025 season, but it will fall on their young quarterback to live up to the expectations that come with a top-10 draft slot.

*First-round pick Jalon Walker should immediately bolster Atlanta's lackluster pass rush.* Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

"There are question marks, but they have an easier schedule," Auman said. "They have a lot riding on a young quarterback. It's a lot like Minnesota (with J.J. McCarthy ), where you have what looks like a great team, with a big question mark, kind of a redshirt freshman, at quarterback."

"If all he does is fall into line with Bo Nix , and Drake Maye , and everybody from last year, that's a great class of quarterbacks," Auman said of Penix. If he's on par with them, then that answers it. You just don't know, because it's a guy with three games so far in his career."

To check out the entire conversation, including deep dives on every team in the NFC South, watch the full episode of BPA:

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

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