1. The no-spin zone
Based on the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, the Falcons would have been one of the weaker entries in the playoffs and are a ways off from being a legitimate NFL contender.
The Falcons had a 3-6 record against the playoff teams, with the best win being over the Eagles, who advanced to the divisional round with a 22-10 dismantling of the Packers. The Chiefs, who beat the Falcons, were the No. 1 seed and had a bye.
The Falcons had two wins over the Buccaneers, who were beaten on a last-second field goal by the Commanders.
The Broncos, Chargers, Vikings and Steelers, who all had a victory over the Falcons, were run out of the playoffs. Denver was routed by Buffalo 31-7. San Diego was body-slammed by Houston 32-12. Pittsburgh was mauled by Baltimore 28-14.
The Los Angeles Rams treated Minnesota like a hostile witness 27-9. Their pass rush was a thing of beauty. The Rams had nine sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss.
Moral of the wild-card round.
The Falcons have some work to do on the personnel and developmental side. They need to hit on their draft picks and free-agent moves. They also must improve internally to make strides toward being a legitimate contender for the NFC South title first and then the NFC title.
While watching the wild-card round, we came across a few former Falcons who are making contributions to playoff teams.
Coached by former Falcons coach Dan Quinn, Washington understandably has the most former Falcons in the playoffs.
Outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr., wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, inside linebacker Mykal Walker and quarterback Marcus Mariota are playing for the Commanders.
Fowler played 23 defensive snaps (48%) and made a tackle. Zaccheaus caught three passes for 19 yards. Mariota had a carry for 2 yards on a quarterback sneak to pick up a first down. Walker played three special-teams snaps (6%).
Other former Falcons in the playoffs include Houston cornerback Jeff Okudah, Buffalo wide receiver Mack Hollins, Los Angeles Chargers tight end Tucker Fisk and Tampa Bay linebacker Deion Jones.
Okudah, who spent the majority of the season on injured reserve after he suffered a hip injury in Week 1, played 12 plays (41%) on special teams. He played in six games in the regular season, with no starts.
Hollins caught one of his two targets for 19 yards in the Bills' win. He played 52 plays on offense (68%) and six (27%) on special-teams.
Fisk, who played six games and made two starts for the Falcons in 2023, caught one pass for 15 yards for the Chargers.
Jones, who played 18 defensive snaps (25%) and five special-teams snaps (24%), had two tackles and a pass breakup for the Bucs.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. Ulbrich Invitational search is underway
Based on experience, we’re calling the search to replace defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, the “Jeff Ulbrich Invitational.”
When coaches get in a tough spot, they turn to coaches they know and have been to battle with. We saw this when former coach Mike Smith hired Mike Nolan as the defensive coordinator before the 2012 season. They’d worked together in Baltimore.
After getting bounced out of the playoffs in the wild-card round by the Giants in the 2011 season, the Falcons switched coordinators. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey landed the Jacksonville job, and Brian VanGorder went to become the DC at Auburn in 2012.
Nolan was hired as the DC, and Dirk Koetter was hired as the OC.
Ulbrich, who played in NFL for the 49ers from 2000-09, was with the Falcons from 2015-20. He was the linebackers coach mostly and served as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach in his final season.
He helped call the defense for part of 2019 and in 2020.
3. Jeff Ulbrich defenses in New York
Ulbrich worked under former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in New York. When Saleh was fired early in this season, Ulbrich was named the interim head coach.
The Jets’ problems over the past four seasons mostly were on the offense, as they moved on from quarterback Sam Darnold and cycled through Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
Ulbrich’s first defense finished 32nd in the NFL in points and yards allowed in 2021. The Jets jumped to fourth in yards and points in 2022. They finished 12th in points and third in yards in 2023 and ranked 20th in points and third in yards this season.
The Jets used a 4-3 alignment and featured a stout front anchored by former Alabama standout Quinnen Williams and a secondary that had cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Jets received strong linebacker play this season from Jamien Sherwood, who lead the Jets with 158 tackles, and Quincy Williams, who ranked second with 116 tackles.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. Important offseason dates for the Falcons
Here’s what the offseason calendar looks like for the Falcons:
Jan. 30: East-West Shrine Bowl. Arlington, Texas.
Feb. 1: Senior Bowl. Mobile, Alabama.
Feb. 18: Beginning this date through 4 p.m. March 4, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players.
Feb. 24-March 3: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
March 4: Before 4 p.m., deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 10-12: Free-agent negotiation period.
March 12: The 2025 league year and trading and free agency signing period begins at 4 p.m.
March 30-April 2: Annual league meeting, Palm Beach, Florida.
April 16: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its team facility.
April 21: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 24-26: NFL draft. Green Bay, Wisconsin.
May 1: Deadline for fifth-year options for players selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. (Drake London, Falcons)
May 2-5 or May 9-12: Teams can hold one three-day post-draft rookie minicamp on one of two weekends following the draft.
June: Mandatory minicamp
Late July: Start of training camp
6. What’s the 15th NFL draft pick worth?
After finishing 8-9 on the season, the Falcons will pick 15th overall in the NFL draft, April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
What can the Falcons get for the 15th pick? A lot.
Here’s a hypothetical using the traditional Jimmy Johnson trade-value chart. If the Texans, or whomever ends up in the 25th spot, want to come up from 25th (720 points) to the 15th spot (1,050) points, the Falcons ask for the 25th spot plus 330 points (a second-rounder).
6. 2025 NFL draft order (first 24 picks)
Picks 19 through 24 became locked in after the wild-card round of the playoffs. Here’s the updated draft order:
1. Titans
2. Browns
3. Giants
4. Patriots
5. Jaguars
6. Raiders
7. Jets
8. Panthers
9. Saints
10. Bears
11. 49ers
12. Cowboys
13. Dolphins
14. Colts
15. Falcons
16. Cardinals
17. Bengals
18. Seahawks
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Steelers
22. Chargers
23. Packers
24. Vikings
7. Falcons opponents for 2025 season
The Falcons’ opponents for the 2025 season are set.
After losing 44-38 to the Panthers in overtime in the regular-season finale, the Falcons finished in second place in the NFC South, which means they’ll face Washington from the NFC East, Indianapolis from the AFC South and Minnesota from the NFC North.
The Falcons will play all teams from the NFC West and the AFC East.
Here are the home opponents: Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Bills, Dolphins and Washington.
The away opponents: Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Arizona, New England, New York Jets, San Francisco, Minnesota and Indianapolis.
8. Local players who accepted Senior Bowl invites
Georgia: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Smael Mondon Jr., Tate Ratledge, Jared Wilson and Arian Smith.
Georgia Tech: Jackson Hawes.
9. Latest reserve/future signing by Falcons
The Falcons signed center/guard Matthew Cindric on Tuesday.
Cindric, 25, who played at California and is 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds, originally signed with the Vikings after the 2024 draft. He spent time on the Vikings and Jets practice squads.
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