B.S. Report: Time to jump on Falcons bandwagon

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Atlanta Falcons deserve our apology – well, at least my apology.

The Falcons had a horrible season debut against Tampa Bay and I was the one on the bridge wanting to jump. I saw nothing in that one game that made me feel good about the 2017 season. It didn’t help that the Falcons were not very impressive in the preseason, either. But since that first game in September, the Falcons have won seven of their 10 games and are sitting pretty at 7-4 in the NFC South.

I still have a bit of skepticism, but if they win this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs – a team that is 8-3 on the season – then I will be on board as the Falcons being for real. The reason for my skepticism is the defense. It still gives up too many points, but it’s not because the defense is not impressive. It’s just really, really young. To see the improvement of Vic Beasley in his second season has been fun to watch. And last week against Arizona, even Jalen Collins did well. Then you have the rookies – safety Keanu Neal and cornerback Brian Poole. They’ve been great. Rookie linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Deion Jones have been very impressive. They are still learning, and that’s why they are making a few mistakes, but this defense is going to be really good at some point.

Will it be this year? Can the defense come together to give Atlanta a chance down the stretch and into January?

There is no doubt this team is going to score points. Matt Ryan is having a MVP-type season. Julio Jones is the best receiver in the NFL. We are seeing Taylor Gabriel become a contributor. The running game is working, and the offensive line is drastically improved with the addition of center Alex Mack.

But will that defense be good enough? Chances are, at some point the defense will have to win a game for this team. I’m just not sure it can happen this year. Next year – maybe. But this young defense has got to get better in a hurry to make a difference.

The Falcons look like they have an easy schedule the rest of the way. The game with the Chiefs this week is the last time they’ll play a team with a winning record. They play at Los Angeles against the Rams next week, then at home against the 49ers, at Carolina and then finish at home against the enemy – the Saints. We are almost to the point where this team needs to start thinking about setting up for the playoffs, and home field advantage could be really important.

But first things first – let’s see the Falcons beat the Chiefs and then let’s all apologize for doubting the Falcons and then jump on that bandwagon.