The Atlanta Falcons certainly had their work cut out for them heading into the 2022 NFL season. Fresh off of trading the best quarterback in team history, the team was hitting the reset -- even if they didn't want to admit it. They hit the season with the largest dead cap hit in NFL history and dozens of fresh faces on the roster that were either journeyman players or rookies. This was always going to be a difficult season for the Falcons.
Much to the surprise of the NFL, the team was largely competitive for much of the season, but they failed to maintain the positive inertia into the second half of the season. Now after Saturday's loss to the Ravens, the Falcons were officially eliminated from the playoff race.
92.9 The Game's Falcons insider, Joe Patrick, joined the Dopey Millennials on Monday morning to discuss the 2022 season and why it can be deemed a success despite the struggles down the stretch.
"I would think it's a successful season because you have seen growth and you found your identity as a team in this running game," Joe Patrick told Caleb Johnson and Garrett Chapman when asked about the success of the 2022 season. "You know, with Tyler Allgeier, he looks like a guy who's going to be your running back for a while. The offensive line -- who Arthur Smith said three of the five positions on were open in training camp -- seems to be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, thanks in large part to Dwayne Ledford, the new offensive line coach that has come in, so I think it's been a very successful season in some respects."
The identity of this squad was a major talking point last offseason following the departure of Matt Ryan. The thought was that Arthur Smith would want to bring the heavy running philosophy that he employed in Tennessee, but it was clear in year one that he didn't have the personnel to make that a reality. In year two, he seems to have found the pieces that he needs to have success down the road.
That confidence stems from the success that the rookie running back has had in this system. Tyler Allgeier has been a revelation. He is fifth in the NFL among running backs with 150 or more carries in yards per rush (4.9) and is second among rookies in total rushing (817 yards).
He, along with the progression of the offensive line, give Joe Patrick reasons to be confident in what the 2022 season produced for the Atlanta Falcons.
"The team just has a lot to work on, lots to build on, and a lot of building to do on the roster," he continued. "I think they will have an ideal time to do that. I think they've learned a lot about the players they have on this roster and that's also going to help identify the players that they want to keep around going forward and the players that they can afford to just let go, like a lot of these guys on one-year deals."
Earlier this offseason, the Dopey Millennials referred to this edition of the Falcons as the "prove it" Falcons. This was a team that had a lot of questions, but not a lot of answers. Now that we're sixteen weeks through the season, we finally seem to have some of those coming to fruition. That's not to say those answers have all been good, either, but the front office knows what they have, and what they need to pursue this offseason.
This team got answers, and they have direction.
"I think it actually has been a successful season," Joe Patrick finished. "Despite the fact that the team has just looked overmatched on the field in most games that they’ve played."