The Atlanta Falcons still have a clear goal this season: win games and reach the playoffs. Head coach Kevin Stefanski reinforced that message after the team traded safety Jessie Bates III and center Ryan Neuzil. He met individually with players, spoke with the team’s leadership committee, and held meetings with the full team.
“I would tell you we’ve got a great group of leadership on this team,” Stefanski said. “I’ve talked to them a lot over the last few days—like I do all the time, but in particular now. I’m very, very confident in their leadership.”
Atlanta is 3-6 and sits last in the NFC South, but is just half a game behind the Carolina Panthers for the division lead with eight games left. Although losing Bates and Neuzil is a setback, both players were in the final years of their contracts. The Falcons received three draft picks combined in the trades, giving the team an opportunity to build for the future as well.
“We believe the return gives us a meaningful opportunity to strengthen this roster over time,” a team source said. “That does not mean Jessie stopped being an outstanding player. We are giving up something valuable, and we understand that.”
The Falcons have a 4.5% chance of reaching the playoffs, according to FPI. Winning the division may be their path to the postseason, but the team faces a difficult four-game stretch against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-2), Minnesota Vikings (6-2), Detroit Lions (6-2), and Cleveland Browns (5-4).
## Michael Penix Jr. Says the Falcons Are “Still in It”
“We’re still in it,” quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said. “We’re so close in a lot of areas, and I feel like in this organization we view that a lot. We use that a lot. We are so close.”
Penix said he believes the team can rally and turn its season around, pointing to how much the players care. He also expressed confidence in the team’s matchups and overall ability.
Stefanski was hired as head coach during the offseason. The Falcons also brought in Ian Cunningham as general manager and named former quarterback Matt Ryan president of football.
