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The Atlanta Falcons finished the 2017 season on a high note, defensively. They were stingy as hell over the last several weeks of the season, culminating in a 15 point performance against the Eagles that was aided by some lucky plays. The Eagles, of course, blew up a terrific Vikings defense a week later, which made Atlanta look even better.
Now Deion Jones, the freshly minted Pro Bowl linebacker who had a real case for the team’s defensive MVP, has indicated that he thinks he could be much better in 2018. And that the Falcons defense could be much better with him.
#Falcons LB @Debo: I feel like the rate we are going and the way guys are buying in the sky is the limit for us to be one of the top defenses. I feel like I can improve on everything in 2018. pic.twitter.com/6jkiIw9P4Z
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) January 26, 2018
The thing is, he’s not wrong. The Falcons are loaded up with talented young defenders, some of whom haven’t even hit that critical third year in the NFL, and really only have a small handful of holes at defensive tackle (a pretty glaring one), defensive end (rotational), and cornerback (could use some depth). They’re a loaded, physical defense that took some time to round into shape in 2017. If they can hit the ground running in 2018, there’s no reason to think they won’t be one of the ten best units in the entire NFL, and their potential is even higher than that.
So suffice to say that Deion Jones brings up an excellent point, and I look forward to him somehow being even better next year.