Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Monday, Jan. 3

The playoffs are officially out of reach for the Atlanta Falcons, and now we turn our focus to the Saints and the 2022 NFL Draft. Here’s Falcoholinks to start your Monday.

Falcons - Bills recap

The Falcons were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their loss against the Bills, which is no surprise. There’s always an outside shot that a team steals a win with the odds stacked against them, but Atlanta hasn’t been that team all season.

With the loss, the Falcons are now guaranteed a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and moves the all-time series history to 7-6 Falcons.

Former Falcons HC Dan Reeves passes away

Some incredibly sad news over the weekend, as we learned of the passing of former Atlanta head coach Dan Reeves. Reeves coached the Falcons from 1997-2003, and led them to their first NFC Championship in franchise history.

Rest in peace, Coach Reeves.

Kyle Pitts sets a record

On Sunday, Kyle Pitts became just the second rookie tight end in the NFL to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving. He also set a franchise mark, besting Julio Jones’ record for recieving yards in his first NFL season.

Julio tallied 959 yards in 2011.

The 2021 Atlanta Falcons: A retrospective

With the turn of the calendar, the Falcoholic took some time to chart the month-by-month happenings of the Falcons during the 2021 season.

Devin Hester, Bryant Young among 15 Hall of Fame finalists

Former Atlanta kick returner Devin Hester and former Falcons D-line coach Bryant Young have both been named as finalists for the 2022 Hall of Fame.

P Thomas Morestead named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month

The Falcons made many a move at the punter position in 2021, but none has paid off as well as the signing of Thomas Morestead. He’s been consistently impressive, and he was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December.

The process of rebuilding

Atlanta brass will deny it, but the Falcons are in the middle of a slow-boiling rebuild. They’ve shed salary in an attempt to position themselves better for the upcoming season, it’s resulted in a number of ugly wins.

But wins nonetheless. The Falcons are now 7-9, and appreciating their ability to secure the wins they have means appreciating a rebuilding team doing its best with the talent that they currently have.