Can 'Average' Falcons Go 'Worst to First', Win NFC South?

Now that the Atlanta Falcons roster is official, does it have the potential to win the NFC South?

The Atlanta Falcons 53-man roster has been finalized, and on paper, it looks good enough to win the entire division. 

Last year, Atlanta was 7-10, somehow managing to finish last in the NFC South while also being competitive enough to fall a single game short of winning the entire division.

Entering last season, the Falcons running backs had failed to eclipse a thousand yards rushing for five years straight. Flash forward to the present-day roster, and they hold just three running backs, and second-year rusher Tyler Allgeier, who ran for 1,034 yards last season, isn't even the star of the backfield. That honor belongs to No. 8 overall pick Bijan Robinson.

Atlanta shocked many when they invested such heavy draft capital in a position where they'd seemingly struck gold in the fifth round a season prior when they selected Allgeier. However, with a new starting quarterback in Desmond Ridder, the Falcons elected to lean even further into their successful run game of a season ago. 

In fact, Atlanta's running back room has become so talented that they elected to send  Godwin Igwebuike to their practice squad. Igwebuike impressed this preseason, averaging 4.85 yards per carry on 27 carries through the team's first two games. However, he fell victim to the talent already rostered by the Falcons as they attempt to make a playoff push this season.

"They're in the one NFC division where average might be good enough to win it," CBS Sports wrote."The Falcons are absolutely loaded with players like Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson. If Atlanta can get just average play from both Desmond Ridder and the team's defense, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to compete for the division title."

When the starters were all on the field together this preseason, the offense looked like it could be dangerous. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ridder led a drive that ate up most of the time in the first quarter while spreading the ball around to pass catchers such as Robinson, London, Pitts, and Mack Hollins, who looked impressive working behind London. 

In addition to featuring playmakers on offense, the starting defense also looked strong this preseason. With All-Pro talent in the secondary between A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates III and an NFC South featuring Carolina Panthers rookie Bryce Young and veteran quarterbacks seeking redemption in New Orleans Saints' Derek Carr and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield, Atlanta could be in store for some interceptions. 

Given the Falcons talent ridden roster this season, head coach Arthur Smith has a good chance at flipping the division on its head and elevating his team from being last in the division a season ago to finishing as the champs this year.