The Atlanta Falcons have finished 7-10 in each of Coach Arthur Smith’s first two seasons and seven wins this season might be enough to win the ultra-weak NFC South, which is easily the worst division in football in terms of starting QB talent. Let’s take a look at the 2023 Atlanta Falcons.

A Closer Look at the Atlanta Falcons 2023 NFL Season

All eyes on the weekend pic.twitter.com/XMntrMYJWD

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) June 9, 2023

• NFL Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 3: at Detroit Lions — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars — 9:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
• NFL Week 5: vs. Houston Texans — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 6: vs. Washington Commanders — 1 p.m. (CBS)
• NFL Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 8: at Tennessee Titans — 1 p.m. (CBS)
• NFL Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 10: at Arizona Cardinals — 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
• NFL Week 11: BYE
• NFL Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 13: at New York Jets — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 1 p.m. (CBS)
• NFL Week 15: at Carolina Panthers — TBD (TBD)
• NFL Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts — 1 p.m. (FOX)
• NFL Week 17: at Chicago Bears — 1 p.m. (CBS)
• NFL Week 18: at New Orleans Saints — TBD (TBD)

What changes have the Falcons done recently?

Ahead of last season, the Falcons started over at quarterback in trading away former league MVP and franchise icon Matt Ryan to Indianapolis. Atlanta started 2023 with dual-threat former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota at QB but he eventually got hurt and lost his job to third-round rookie Desmond Ridder. It’s his job entering 2023 as Mariota was released and the Falcons opted not to take a QB at No. 8 overall in this year’s draft but instead the top running back prospect by far in Texas’ Bijan Robinson. He is the +275 favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Robinson was the winner of the 2022 Doak Walker Award at Texas and ranks fourth all-time in Longhorn history with 3,410 rushing yards and 41 total touchdowns (33 rushing, eight receiving). He was unanimous All-American in 2022, the fourth UT running back to earn the honor, joining James Saxton (1961), Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1997, ‘98) and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting.

Robinson, the first Texas player taken in the Top 10 since 2006 (Vince Young and Michael Huff), will be a matchup nightmare for opponents and make Atlanta’s offense difficult to defend. Thing is, teams generally don’t select running backs in the Top 10 these days because they are so interchangeable for the most part. Robinson was the highest pick for a running back since the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018.

The Running Backs Could Be a Difference Maker

The Falcons already had two good backs on the roster in Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson. There hadn’t been a 1,000-yard rusher for the Falcons since 2016, but Allgeier changed all that in an extraordinary rookie campaign with 1,035 yards as a fifth-round pick. The makeup of the Falcons’ backfield portends to the ground-and-pound offense coach Arthur Smith prefers.

“Excited. The guys upstairs do things for a reason, and bringing in the right guy,” Allgeier said of the competition with Robinson. “It’s just competition. That’s the name of this game, competition, I’m excited for him to come in and should be fun.”

Is Ridder the answer under center?

The 2022 third-round pick from Cincinnati started four games down the stretch as a rookie. He had flashes, but there were also moments of struggle. He averaged 177 passing yards per game over the four contests with two touchdown tosses and zero interceptions. This offseason, the Falcons doubled down on Ridder, only bringing in veteran Taylor Heinicke as a backup, eschewing the options to add legit competition for the second-year signal-caller.

“It feels good knowing that they have the trust in me, that they’ve seen that I’ve put in the work and the effort as long as everyone else to go out there and lead the team,” Ridder said.

Ridder has one of the NFL’s best young tight ends in Kyle Pitts and a promising second-year receiver in Drake London. The Falcons had the second-most cap space in the NFL when the 2023 league year began in March. Since then, they’ve seriously upgraded their defense with the money they had to spend in free agency, grabbing guys like Jessie Bates III, David Onyemata, Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree and trading for Jeff Okudah.

What Can We Expect from the Defense?

Campbell is coming off a strong 2022 campaign with Baltimore in which he logged 36 tackles, 14 quarterback hits, and 5.5 sacks, his most since joining the Ravens. Campbell sits at 99 career sacks. Onyemata followed his Saints former position coach – Ryan Nielsen – to Atlanta. Over the course of his seven seasons in New Orleans, Onyemata accumulated 23 sacks, 244 total tackles (28 for a loss) and 63 quarterback hits.

Okudah was originally drafted third overall by the Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft and was acquired for a fifth-round draft pick. Over the last three seasons in Detroit, Okudah has played in 25 games totaling 124 tackles (103 solo), two interceptions, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble, 10 pass deflections and one touchdown. His best season came in 2022 after having 73 total tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, two tackles for loss and one touchdown.

Atlanta is a 3-point home favorite for Week 1 vs. Carolina, which will be starting rookie No. 1 overall QB Bryce Young. Overall, the Falcons have the easiest strength of schedule entering into the season not just in the league in 2023, but for any team since 2018 with an opponents’ combined winning percentage of just .417. Four of the last six teams that entered the season with the easiest strength of schedule made the playoffs that year.

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READ MORE: Atlanta Falcons 2023 NFL Season Betting Guide