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PFF Predicts Atlanta Falcons to Snap Playoff Drought

Originally posted on Atlanta Falcons on SI
By Arkesh Ray | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 4:30 PM ET

Perhaps this is the year the Atlanta Falcons break through. PFF’s Mason Cameron named them among teams who are in position to make the playoffs in 2025 after missing out in 2024.

Cameron attributed a favorable schedule as a major factor in helping the Falcons get over the hump. PFF projects the Falcons to win eight games and gives them a 39% chance of making the playoffs.

Along with the schedule, the two biggest reasons Cameron believes in the Falcons are quarterback Michael Penix Jr and first-round draft selections Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Cameron liked that the Falcons were aggressive in their pursuit of pass rushers.

“The biggest change Atlanta made this offseason was its aggressive approach to revamping the pass rush, drafting two talented players in the first round in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr,” Cameron writes. “The pair will undoubtedly breathe new life into a pass-rush unit that ranked 30th in PFF grade (59.0) and 31st in pass-rush win-rate (35.2%),” Cameron wrote.

The Falcons were 6-3 and in first place in the NFC South roughly halfway through the 2024 season. Unfortunately, Atlanta went just 2-6 to close out the season; however, a lot of that was due to quarterback Kirk Cousins' poor performance and a hidden injury.

Penix took over in Week 15 against the New York Giants, and since Week 16, his big-time throw rate of 9.0% is the third best in the NFL.

Cameron believes that Penix holds the keys to the Falcons’ success in 2025, and with an easy schedule and PFF’s highest graded supporting cast around him, he thinks he can take Atlanta back to the playoffs.