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With Help From AI, NFL Network Believes in 2025 Falcons

Originally posted on Atlanta Falcons on SI
By Dave Holcomb | Last updated May 17, 2025 10:14 AM ET

A lot of NFL analysts were convinced the Atlanta Falcons were the favorites in the NFC South last year. Given that prediction was wrong, pundits don't seem as high on the Falcons going into 2025 despite some obvious signs of roster improvement.

AI, though, doesn't take into account a team burning them with a previous prediction.

While using artificial intelligence to predict the 2025-26 playoff picture this week, NFL Network projected the Falcons to win the NFC South and capture the No. 4 seed in the NFC.

The Falcons were one of five teams who didn't make the postseason during 2024-25 that AI predicted to make the playoffs this season.

NFL Network released its AI predictions on its X (formerly Twitter) account Friday.

Chat, what do we think? pic.twitter.com/iZeeTL6SiX
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) May 16, 2025

Five new playoff teams is a fairly safe bet. Since the NFL expanded its playoff field to 12 teams in 1990, at least four new teams who didn't make the playoffs the previous year made the postseason. In a vast majority of the last 34 years, five new teams made the playoffs.

That's only become an easier feat for the league to achieve with a 14-team playoff field since 2020.

Joining the Falcons as new playoff teams in this set of predictions were the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars. The five teams who made the 24-25 postseason who were projected to miss them this winter were the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.

If the Falcons win the NFC South in 2025, they will break a streak of nine consecutive years without a division title. The Falcons also haven't earned a postseason berth or posted a winning record since 2017.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened to start the 2017 season. The Falcons have yet to host a playoff game at the cathedral of a stadium.

Based on the AI predictions, the Falcons would host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. Ironically, Atlanta's last playoff game was a loss to the Eagles during January 2018.

The Eagles defeated the Falcons in the NFC divisional round and went on to win the Super Bowl.

This article first appeared on Atlanta Falcons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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