Despite suffering a bleak start to their franchise career, the Atlanta Falcons have worked their way up into one of the more promising teams of the future. After making their inaugural Super Bowl appearance in the late 90’s, the Falcons have always been a scary team just itching to find the right pieces to go all the way. A slew of transcendent players have called Atlanta home, and with two of them in their prime right now in Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, Atlanta can look forward to a future that promises more cheer than gloom.
Criteria used to differentiate teams:
- How successful was their postseason run
- Individual quality of players
5. 1977 Atlanta Falcons (7-7)
There wasn’t much to cheer for regarding Atlanta football for years after the Falcons inception, but the 1977 squad, especially on the defensive end, did its best to take the league by storm. Despite possessing one of the league’s worst defenses the year before, the Falcons stymied all their opponents allowing an average of less than 10 points per game. In fact, when comparing great defenses of all time, the Falcons hold opponents to fewer points per game, fewer yards allowed per game, fewer net yards per play, and more turnovers per game than esteemed defenses such as the 1985 Bears or the 2000 Ravens. And they still somehow didn’t end up with a winning record due to their inept offense. What makes this defense even more interesting is that the next year, the Falcons fell back into mediocrity giving up 18 points per game.
