Filed under: Chiefs, Falcons, AFC West, NFC South
We're only three weeks into the 2008 season and no matter what happens from here, the Falcons have already bettered their 2007 season.
They still need two more wins to equal their 2007 total, but the Falcons have already shown more promise, more stars and more refined execution than they ever did last year. Michael Turner has five rushing touchdowns in three weeks--the Falcons had seven rushing touchdowns in 2007. John Abraham already had six sacks and rookie quarterback Matt Ryan has had two good games in three weeks.
Could anyone watch this game yesterday and not think that the Falcons are in better shape to contend down the road than the Chiefs? Kansas City may have been starting its third-string quarterback, but it has serious problems on the offensive line, at receiver and on defense that will have to be fixed, and it's not clear there are the players on the current roster to fix all the problems.
The Falcons, on the other hand, now have a young quarterback to develop around. The offensive line starts four players who have three or fewer seasons of experience--they should all be around for at least the next two years. The secondary plays three cornerbacks in their first or second seasons and a rookie at middle linebacker. The schedule is going to get a lot tougher over the next couple of weeks (with the Panthers, Packers and Eagles on the calendar in the next month), but for the first time in a while, there is a legitimate reason to believe that the Falcons are getting better, not worse.
