The Atlanta Falcons (4-2), fresh off a clean sweep of their division rivals over three games, are off to their best start to a season since 2016. Raheem Morris' first year as head coach alongside a refreshed quarterback room has gone about as well as fans could have hoped. How much better could it get?
A season is not decided after seven weeks, but a 5-2 start would catapult the Falcons into a different category of football team, says The Steakhouse.
"If they get to 5-2, they've crossed over from, 'Oh they're a really nice team,'" Steak Shapiro said. "4-3 makes them like everybody else. 5-2? They'll start talking about how if they can find a pass-rush then they could be a dark horse Super Bowl contender."
Now the Seahawks, on the heels of three straight losses, come to Atlanta needing a win to keep the season on the rails.
"This is a character game for the Falcons," Steak continued. "At 5-2, you start talking about home playoff games, you start talking about second-round home playoff games, you start talking about a HUGE game against Tampa [next weekend], a HUGE game against Dallas, HUGE game against New Orleans. You start to separate yourself. 5-2 is different and you become a national story as a contender.
"If you go to 4-3, you're kind of like everybody else."
Midseason is the time of year the cream rises to the top, and the Falcons have to show what they're worth. Atlanta currently sits in the No. 2 spot in the NFC, but they are just one of seven teams with a record of 4-2 or better.
The NFC North teams all fit that description, but they haven't started to beat each other up yet in division play. The NFC West is convoluted with no team above .500, but they have one of the favorites to win the conference. Then the NFC East feels like a bit of a mess.
A win on Sunday would move the Falcons to undefeated in conference play and give them a significant advantage as the midpoint of the season approaches.
