Positive aspects of the Falcons to look forward to in Week 1

The outlook of the Falcons heading into Week 1 — particularly from the national media — has been profoundly negative. They don’t have a quarterback, the one that’s starting sucks, Kevin Stefanski is in the same situation he was with the Browns, and the one good aspect of the team from a year ago — the pass rush — has been completely depleted because of the losses of Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

I am not going to say I disagree with any of those points. Most of them are true, but this is the NFL, and the Falcons still have a ton of talent on the roster with an opportunity to start 1-0 against a team that has plenty of flaws of its own.

The Falcons’ Rushing Attack

Could I really start listing off positives without focusing on arguably the best player in all of football, Bijan Robinson? He’s the star of the show, and with the Falcons limited at the quarterback position, Kevin Stefanski isn’t going to try and hide who they want to get the ball to. This is a head coach who had no problem handing the ball off 300 times per season to Nick Chubb while he was in Cleveland, but unlike Chubb, Robinson can also be a weapon in the passing game. He should get 25+ touches in this one as long as the Falcons manage to keep it close.

A Potentially Elite Secondary?

I’ve said it a couple of times leading up to the season, but the Falcons’ secondary is going to be last year’s version of the pass rush. Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates III make up one of the most intimidating safety duos in the league. Both have a nose for the football and could potentially change this Week 1 matchup in favor of the Falcons. But for the first time in a while, the cornerback room also adds some intrigue.

A.J. Terrell leads the group as one of the premier talents at the position. Mike Hughes has proven to be a serviceable veteran. Avieon Terrell joins the room as a rookie — he’ll get the nod as the team’s starting nickel corner. And while we don’t know if Billy Bowman Jr. will play in Week 1, he’ll certainly have a say as the season progresses, giving the Falcons some enticing depth at a spot they haven’t had it in a long time.

There are obviously still some unknowns with this group, but it’s the one area I feel comfortable buying into on the defensive side of the ball.

The Start of a New Regime

The first game of a new era is always exciting, especially when it’s led by a Falcons legend in Matt Ryan. Everybody wants this to work out, and while the previous regime made it nearly impossible for Atlanta to put together a roster worthy of legitimate contention, we can still learn a lot about this regime in year one — particularly head coach Kevin Stefanski. This is a former two-time Coach of the Year who led the Browns to the playoffs not once but twice. So why can’t he keep the Falcons competitive in a weak NFC South? We’ll get our first glimpse of it all this Sunday.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)