Atlanta Falcons Have to 'Get Through' 49ers in NFC, Kirk Cousins Says

With playoff hopes renewed, the Atlanta Falcons know they'll have to go through the NFC's juggernaut at some point.

Oct 16, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is tackled by / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After six straight seasons with no playoff appearances, the Atlanta Falcons expect to make their long-awaited return to the postseason in 2024.

As their offseason moves have shown, the Falcons clearly want to win and win now. They signed Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in hopes of solving their quarterback woes and improved the offense around them as well. Atlanta also has a chance to add another top prospect with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft later this month.

With their offseason moves, the Falcons seem to be the favorite in the NFC South, but they've got a ways to go to catch some of the conference's elite. For instance, the San Francisco 49ers are the current class of the conference as they've made four NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls in the past five years.

Oct 16, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) is tackled by / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking with ESPN's Laura Rutledge at the Masters, Cousins acknowledged that the Falcons are going to have to go through the 49ers to get where they truly want to be.

“I’m really enjoying getting to know the teammates, really good guys and talented players and talented coaches so I couldn’t be happier about where we landed and where we are and what we have to look forward to,” Cousins said. “But everyone’s kind of looking up to the Niners right now in the NFC. So, if we’re going to go anywhere, we’ve got to get through this guy [San Francisco tight end George Kittle] and his group.”

"Everybody's kind of looking up at the Niners right now in the NFC. So, if we're gonna go anywhere we've got to get through [George Kittle.]" 😅

—Kirk Cousins and George Kittle join @LauraRutledge at #TheMasters. pic.twitter.com/bApunfctLQ

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 11, 2024

Cousins and the Falcons have a lot of work to do before they can even think about challenging the 49ers. The 36-year-old is coming off a torn Achilles and acclimating to a new team, and again, that team hasn't made the playoffs since 2017.

Expectations may be high in Atlanta, but the Falcons will have to back up those expectations when the season actually rolls around.