The Falcons' second-half turnaround was one for the books.
Atlanta went from being 1-7 at the bye week to 6-2 in the final eight weeks of the season to finish with a 7-9 record on the year and take second place in the NFC South.
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The Falcons ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category defensively in the first half of the season. Dan Quinn relinquished his play-calling duties to linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich and former wide receivers/assistant head coach, now defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, and the unit saw drastic improvement.
Offensively, the Falcons also improved in the second half of the season. Not having to play from behind was a factor the Falcons saw after the bye as was the balance between the run and pass games.
Across the board, the Falcons need to improve in a number of areas in 2020 to get back to the postseason. Coach Dan Quin said the team will use the lessons learned from 2019 to fuel them moving forward.
Here's where the Falcons finished the 2019 season from a numbers standpoint:
Offense
3
With Matt Ryan at the helm, Atlanta had the No. 3rd ranked passing offense. The group average 294.6 yards per game in the air.
13
The Falcons ranked No. 13 in points per game averaging 23.8 points a game.
30
Atlanta finished at the bottom of the league in rushing offense as they averaged just 85.1 yards per game.
50
The Falcons allowed 50 sacks this season which was tied for the fifth-most in the league.
Defense
15
The Falcons were stout against the run for majority of the year. Atlanta finished No. 15 in the league in this area.
19
One of the main reasons for the second-half turnaround was the number of turnovers the Falcons created defensively. The Falcons forced 20 turnovers on the year putting them at No. 19 in the league in this category. At the bye, the Falcons were 31st in the league in the turnover differential.
22
Against the pass, the Falcons improved in the second half of the season specifically. The unit finished No. 22nd ranked defense against the pass. The Falcons also finished with the No. 22nd ranked scoring defense giving up 24.9 points per game.
29
The Falcons struggled to get to the quarterback consistently in 2019. Atlanta registered 28 sacks on the year which was 29th most in the NFL.
