USA Today predicts Falcons will win Super Bowl 53

While everyone is fretting over what’s to be with the Julio Jones contract thing, the good folks over at USA Today have thrown a really nice mention Atlanta’s way.

Nate Davis has thrown out his annual 2018 season predictions, and has circled in on the Falcons as his top pick to go, well, all the way.

Here’s Davis’ reasoning for Atlanta’s record.

Maybe, finally this is the team that will play the Super Bowl on its own turf? Matt Ryan and Co. will need a familiar quantum leap in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian that they enjoyed in a similar scenario with Kyle Shanahan in 2016. The difference with this club is a lightning quick defense that’s in full bloom — the primary reason the Falcons came closest to derailing the Eagles in last season’s playoffs. With five of its first seven at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta will need to make early hay to ensure its final game is there, too.

To make this even sweeter, he’s predicting the team to beat not only Green Bay (a team I’m very concerned about) in the Wild Card round, but Minnesota on the road in the divisional round, and the dad gum rival New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship, which would effectively, in and of itself, be a Super Bowl victory.

He’s also predicting the team to actually rectify 28-3 against the Los Angeles Chargers down in Atlanta, which would be the storybook ending so many of us have dreamed would happen one of these days.

Obviously, you can only hang so many hats on a preseason prediction, but this one at least feels mightily good. It’s the perfect scenario for the team — the run a dangerous NFC run, defeat their archenemy for the conference title and win the home Super Bowl. Honestly, after enduring Super Bowl 51, we kinda are owed this coming true, right?

So, thanks to Nate Davis for the predictions, and let us hope continuously he’s right.