Falcons appear to have a path to dethrone the Bucs in the NFC South

FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons have their six division title banners hanging in the team’s indoor facility.

But they haven’t had to call the banner maker in quite a while.

The Falcons last won the division in 2016 and finished second last season after kicking away a three-game lead. With Michael Penix Jr. taking over at quarterback and a major overhaul on the defense, the Falcons are considered the top contender to dethrone the Buccaneers, who have won four consecutive NFC South titles.

Atlanta will open the season against the Bucs at 1 p.m. Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“As a big picture goal, that’s always what we want,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “That will never change. That will always be the same. That will always remain consistent. Obviously, we know why that is.

“That’s the automatic bid. That’s winning your division. That’s what everybody wants to do. That will always be the goal.”

For now, Morris wants the team to focus on the opener.

“But right now for us, everybody’s really focused on Tampa,” he said. “We’re going after our best performance.”

The Falcons beat the Bucs twice last season as they raced out to a 6-3 record. The Falcons won 36-30 in overtime Oct. 3 at home and 31-26 on the road Oct. 27.

But in Week 10, quarterback Kirk Cousins was injured against the Saints. He tried to play through the injury before he was eventually benched.

With Cousins misfiring, the Falcons dropped four consecutive. They went 2-6 down the stretch after the hot start.

The Panthers finished strong last season, but went 0-3 in the exhibition games.

The Saints have a new coach in Kellen Moore and are in rebuilding mode. Quarterback Spencer Rattler, who went 0-6 last season, was named the starter.

The Falcons’ offensive attack will be spearheaded by running back Bijan Robinson, who had a dynamic second season that ended with him in the Pro Bowl.

He was second in the NFL with 365 touches, third in rushing yards (1,456), fourth in scrimmage yards (1,887) and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (14).

With Robinson as the focal point, Penix will have less pressure on him.

He’ll have to distribute the ball to the other weapons to keep the opposing defenses honest.

Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III are the top receivers. Also, the Falcons have tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Tyler Allgeier.

“We’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Penix said. “There are a lot of good teams out there. This division, I feel like everybody’s good. Everybody has good players. It’s the NFL at the end of the day, so we’ve got to come in with that right mindset.”

The Falcons will lean heavily on their offense.

“Coming into (the season) we have to make sure that we dominate from the start of the game all the way to the finish,” Penix said. “Do whatever it takes to make sure that we come out on top.”

London is coming off a big season. He caught 100 passes for 1,271 yards and scored nine touchdowns.

“Our goal is to win every game, and they so happen to be one of our rivals, our division rivals,” he said. “We have go out there and handle business, that’s Week 1 knocked off.”

London said he believes that he has established a stronger connection with Penix.

“I have a whole offseason with him,” London said. “That’s better than a week of practice and then doing it. You know what I’m saying? Everybody feels more comfortable with him throwing the ball. We’re doing good.”

Mooney suffered a shoulder injury on the first day of training camp and didn’t return to practice until Thursday.

“It was good, man, just to see his progression, how he’s recovering,” Penix said. “He takes it serious. I see him in that training room all day, every day, making sure that he can get back up and play with his team. We can’t wait to have him back for game day.”

The Falcons didn’t play their starters in the exhibition games. They used their practices, a scrimmage and joint practices against the Titans to get ready for the season opener.

The new-look defense will have at least two rookie starters — and maybe four, if they elect to start outside linebackers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., the two first-round picks. Safety Xavier Watts and nickel back Billy Bowman Jr. were declared starters by Morris on Wednesday.

The unit, which is under new coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, will be a work in progress early in the season. Overall, there are six new starters.

“That’s why you have training camp,” linebacker Kaden Elliss said when asked about the continuity. “That’s why you do it together. You’ve got to go through something grueling, go through something taxing, go through something that hurts. Go through a little suffering together, and that will put you closer, put you tighter.”

Most of the defensive starters didn’t play in the exhibition games, either. Pearce was one of the stars of training camp, but Walker was slowed by injuries.

“Going through it together is what sharpens you,” Elliss said. “Brings you closer.”

The defense was ranked in the bottom half of the league in total yards (23rd), passing yards (22nd) and scoring (22nd), which led the Falcons to replace coordinator Jimmy Lake.

Major improvements will be necessary to overtake the Bucs.

“Just chase being the best every day,” Elliss said. “Let’s just chase it. Chase being the best every day.”

Walker, Pearce and Leonard Floyd will have to generate a pass rush for the defense.

The Falcons will have to take advantage of the fourth softest schedule in the league.

Tampa Bay is led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has resurrected his career since being chased out of Cleveland. He was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018.

He passed for 4,500 yards, threw 41 touchdowns and had a 106.8 passer rating last season.