The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2025 Football Preview book. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2025 Football Preview.
Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.
Let's look at how the Atlanta Falcons performed from a penalty perspective in 2024 and where they can improve in 2025.
How Did Penalties Impact the Atlanta Falcons?
The Good
- The Falcons ended the season ranking 26th in penalties per game.
- The Falcons offense was a top-three beneficiary of automatic first downs via penalty on all important third down plays.
- The Falcons defense surrendered the second-fewest automatic first downs via penalty in 2024. Only the Chicago Bears ranked better in this category last season.
- The defense committed the fewest defensive pass interference penalties in the NFL.
- Atlanta averaged just 4.6 penalties per game in the three starts by Michael Penix Jr, a trend they hope continues as he becomes the full time starter in 2025.
The Bad
- The Falcons offense accounted for 59% of the team's overall penalties. While not ideal, they have ample offensive firepower to overcome setbacks. Percentages can be misleading, and because Atlanta was such a low penalized team, in raw numbers, the offense was right at league average in offensive penalties per game.
Grade: A
Despite only a three game sample size, the Falcons’ late season switch to Penix provided an offensive spark that can propel this team in 2025.
Clearly, the NFL saw something as well, scheduling three of the Falcons' first six games on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football.
The Atlanta offense has a plethora of weapons, and Penix adds a vertical dimension to this unit that Kirk Cousins could not do consistently last season.
A major concern is Raheem Morris’ clock and game management in high leverage moments. The Falcons looked disorganized at key junctures of games last season, and that ultimately proved costly.
The division appears to be a two horse race between the Falcons and Buccaneers, and the regular season matchups between the two teams may well decide who takes the crown.
With arguably the best roster in the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons could be a sneaky team in 2025, but the success of this team hinges on Penix living up to expectations.
This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview
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Warren Sharp's book shares insights into the players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal: to prepare you for the 2025 NFL season with the smartest information delivered in the fastest, most direct way possible for optimal reviewing and retention.
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