The Atlanta Falcons have missed the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, a streak they are looking to snap in 2022.
And even though the team has low expectations after losing quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Calvin Ridley, that's not how team members feel.
If the team is going to make the playoffs, it will likely need a significant boost from wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, one of the few wideouts still with the team from a year ago. Zaccheaus believes that the Falcons can surprise many fans this season.
“I feel like we’re a playoff team,” Zaccheaus told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We just [have] to put everything together. Really start fast at the beginning of the season and not get into a hole. I just feel like as a team, we can shock a lot of people.”
Zaccheaus isn't the only one who feels this way. Cornerback Casey Hayward echoed similar sentiments earlier this offseason after signing with the team.
"Who says that we can't?" Hayward said regarding the idea of contention. "You just never know. Every year is a different year. You never know how these things pan out. You never know how each year guys on the team get better and things like that."
"Our goal is to go out there and try to win every game," Hayward said. "Not saying we will, but that's the goal. Who cares what the outside thinks about the roster and things like that. Maybe we don't win games, and maybe we do, but our goal is to win them."
It's exciting for fans to see a confident team. At this point in the year, the only way you can lose a Super Bowl is by not striving for it, and the Falcons aren't ruling anything out. This is a sign that the culture in Atlanta is in a good place.
The Falcons will have the opportunity to start building a playoff season on Sept. 11 against the New Orleans Saints in Atlanta.
More must-reads: