Can the Falcons Finally Dethrone the Bucs in the NFC South?

On the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Greg Auman of Fox Sports to talk about how Penix and some key offseason additions could finally put Atlanta over the top.

"A lot falls on Penix," Auman said. "I think he bears the brunt of it. Everything's back on offense, for the most part. Cousins was, at times, a great quarterback last season. You look at those two games against the Bucs, that was huge. But then you look at that four-game skid, and I think he had eight interceptions and no touchdowns during that stretch. One of the worst four-game stretches a quarterback has ever had, period.

Penix will have plenty of explosive weapons around him, but it remains to be seen whether or not he can be a consistent producer at the game's most important position.

"So, where does Penix fall in the middle of that spectrum? Is he a 25-touchdown guy? Is he a 20-touchdown, rush for eight touchdowns kind of guy? Absolutely, he has the offensive talent around him," Auman said. "He's got multiple top-10 picks all around him, maybe for the last time. Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, Drake London . . . I think (Darnell) Mooney was one of the better stories of last season, in terms of being a good value signing that stepped up in a big way, as the solid WR2 they haven't had in a while. The offensive line is mostly back intact."

Outside of Penix, there are still some concerns on defense, but the Falcons invested some premium resources into those areas this offseason, particularly through the draft. They spent their original first-round pick on do-it-all linebacker/edge rusher Jalon Walker, then made a bold move by trading next year's first-rounder to land another pass-rushing stud in James Pearce Jr. a handful of picks later. They followed that up by stealing dynamic safety Xavier Watts in the third round.

"The defense is still a question mark," Auman said. "They've changed coordinators, they've changed a decent amount of personnel. Up front, I think they went out of their way to over-address the pass rush, which has been a glaring need and a weak spot. It's a little unnerving that your top two sack guys could both be rookies, but I thought Walker was great value there. I thought he'd be a guy who was gone in the top 10. For him to fall to 15 was great. Clearly, they overpaid to get Pearce, but if they believe in him that much . . . to have two young edge rushers on cheap rookie deals, it makes life easier. Safety was a need position, and Watts should be able to jump right in, even as a third-round pick, and be a starter for them, and hopefully an impact player. He's a ballhawk."

There are plenty of reasons for Falcons fans to be optimistic heading into the 2025 season, but it will fall on their young quarterback to live up to the expectations that come with a top-10 draft slot.

"There are question marks, but they have an easier schedule," Auman said. "They have a lot riding on a young quarterback. It's a lot like Minnesota (with J.J. McCarthy), where you have what looks like a great team, with a big question mark, kind of a redshirt freshman, at quarterback."

"If all he does is fall into line with Bo Nix, and Drake Maye, and everybody from last year, that's a great class of quarterbacks," Auman said of Penix. If he's on par with them, then that answers it. You just don't know, because it's a guy with three games so far in his career."