5 Keys to the Atlanta Falcons Getting on Track Back to Playoffs

It might feel like it's been ages, but the Atlanta Falcons were recently regular playoff contenders. Between 2008 and 2012, the team went to the playoffs four times, posted a 56-24 regular-season record and even made an appearance in the NFC title game.

Though Atlanta didn't make it back to the postseason last year, the team did turn the page a bit on the two years of futility that followed that stellar five-year run. The Falcons managed to win eight games in 2015, just two fewer than the team posted in the previous two seasons combined.

The stage is now set for Atlanta to potentially make a return to the playoffs in 2016. However, the path back to the playoffs isn't going to be an easy one.

Today, we're going to take a look at five goals the Falcons must accomplish in order to make their return to postseason contention. We'll be basing our choices largely on what worked and what didn't during last season's 8-8 campaign. Factors like roster makeup, coaching strategy and schedule will also be incorporated where applicable.

1. Spread the Ball in the Passing Game

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Julio Jones can be Atlanta's primary target in 2016, but he can't be the only go-to receiver.

The Falcons have a top-tier receiver in Julio Jones, and when the team was successful in 2015, it was often because he played well. However, when the Falcons struggled offensively last season, it was often because Jones was the only consistent target on the field.

As we'll see later, mistakes from quarterback Matt Ryan hurt the team. Those mistakes were often caused by trying to make something out of nothing or by holding the ball when Jones wasn't available to target.

Atlanta's pass-catching options—especially at receiver—were lacking last season. The team's top two receivers after Jones were running back Devonta Freeman (73 catches) and tight end Jacob Tamme (59 receptions).

Jones led the team with a whopping 136 receptions. This means that of Ryan's 407 completions, more than 33 percent went to Jones. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones was targeted 193 times last season, most in the NFL. This means that roughly 31 percent of Ryan's 614 attempts were directed at Jones.

Spreading the ball more among pass-catchers should help both the Falcons' efficiency on offense and help cut down on mistakes in the passing game.

Fortunately, the Falcons took some steps to ensure Ryan will have a better cadre of receivers this season. The team added Mohamed Sanu in free agency. Sanu should replace the now-departed—and last season, often ineffective—Roddy White as the team's No. 2 receiver. The Falcons also added pass-catching tight end Austin Hooper in the third round of the 2016 draft.

The next step will be for Ryan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to take advantage of all the pass-catchers at their disposal—effectively allowing Jones to be a star, but not a one-man show.

2. Field Some Variety, Yet Keep Consistency in the Ground Game

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The Falcons must avoid overusing Devonta Freeman in 2016.

Freeman had a breakout year at the running back position in 2015, racking up 73 receptions. He also carried the ball 265 times and produced 1,634 combined rushing and receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns.

Unfortunately, it seemed the Falcons overextended Freeman and that his effectiveness declined as the season wore on. The Florida State product missed Week 12 due to injury and didn't produce a 100-yard rushing game in the second half of the season.

Pro Football Focus rated Freeman third overall among all running backs for the first eight weeks of 2015 but just 127th overall from Week 9 on. 

Atlanta seems to believe that Freeman can be a better back this season if another back like Tevin Coleman can take away some of his touches.

“Free had a good year, but I’m expecting even a better year," Falcons running backs coach Bobby Turner said, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Well, you’re saying, 'How can it be better?' It can be even better with less carries or less catches, because I’d obviously like to get Tevin [Coleman] more involved, and that also keeps Free fresher.”

Allowing multiple backs to share the load should help keep all of them fresher and more effective throughout the season. However, the Falcons cannot afford to pull the workload away from Freeman to the detriment of overall consistency. Atlanta has to find a backfield split that allows the ground game to consistently produce and to ensure full balance on offense.

3. Avoid Turnovers on Offense, Force Them on Defense

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Quarterback Matt Ryan threw 16 interceptions last season.

Though it clearly isn't the only path to victory in the NFL, consistently winning the turnover battle can go a long way toward a successful season. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the turnover battle was not kind in 2015.

Atlanta finished 27th in the league in turnover differential at minus-seven. The defense managed to force 23 turnovers, but the offense gave the football away 30 times on the season.

Much of the blame offensively can be placed on Ryan. The quarterback tossed 16 interceptions and fumbled the ball 12 times, losing five of them. This marks the second time in Ryan's pro career that he was responsible for 21 turnovers in a season. The other came in 2013. It should go without saying that the Boston College product needs to be more careful with the football.

Getting Ryan and the offense to take better care of the ball is just one side of the proverbial coin. The Falcons defense also needs to get more interceptions and fumbles in order to further improve the turnover margin.

Atlanta did manage to finish the season tied at 10th in the league with 15 interceptions. However, this fell short of the rival Carolina Panthers, who ranked first with 24 picks. Head coach Dan Quinn explained earlier in the offseason how dominating the turnover battle made the Panthers a special team in 2015.

“No. 1, they did the best job [with the] turnover margin,” Quinn said, per Ledbetter. “They played a tough style. They are physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but the turnover margin was the thing I think that set them apart.”

Emulating Carolina in regard to the turnover margin should be a goal for the Falcons this season. If they can improve dramatically in this category, the greater goal of reaching the playoffs should be that much easier to accomplish.

4. Get to the Quarterback on Defense

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Atlanta needs to get more production out of Vic Beasley and the pass rush in 2016.

One of the best ways for a defense to create turnovers and derail the opposition's game plan is to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. This is a philosophy in which Quinn is likely well-versed after his previous stint as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks.

Quinn and the Falcons tried to improve the pass rush last offseason, adding guys like free agent Adrian Clayborn and rookie Vic Beasley to the roster. Unfortunately, the desired results weren't always found on the playing field.

As a team, the Falcons produced a mere 19 sacks in 2015. The team was better at actually creating pressure than this number might indicate—Pro Football Focus rated Atlanta 15th in pass rush—but actually hitting home was a problem.

No defense produced fewer sacks in 2015 than Atlanta's. Things have to change in 2016 if the Falcons hope to be a playoff team.

The Falcons added quick, rangy players like safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones in this year's draft. Utilizing them in the right schemes could help improve the pass rush. In free agency, the team also added defensive end Derrick Shelby. He finished the 2015 season with 3.5 sacks and rated 30th in pass rush among edge defenders by PFF.

On paper, it seems the Falcons have the potential to be better at getting to the quarterback this season. Of course, the defense will have to execute on the field to actually see any improvement materialize.

If Atlanta can dramatically boost its pass rush, it could realistically be a playoff team. However, reaching the postseason will prove incredibly difficult if the Falcons are again at the bottom of the league in sacks.

5. Win Games in the NFC South

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Atlanta's only division win last season came against the Panthers in Week 16.

This might seem like a fairly obvious goal, as winning divisional games is typically a priority for NFL teams. However, there's no getting around the fact that failing to win games in the NFC South is primarily what kept the Falcons out of the postseason in 2015.

Atlanta was off to a hot start last year, racking up five consecutive wins to start the season. Then the Falcons began division play, and their campaign fell apart. The team went 7-3 against non-division opponents for the season but just 1-5 against members of the NFC South.

Ironically, Atlanta's only division win also gave the Panthers their only loss of the regular season.

Last season was virtually the opposite of the Falcon's 2014 campaign. That season, the team went 5-1 in NFC South play with just one win outside the division. Atlanta needs to find a happy medium between the last two divisional campaigns in order to get back to the postseason in 2016.

Obviously, the Falcons cannot only be competitive within the division. They will have to take care of non-divisional opponents like they did last season while improving against the Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even a 3-3 record in the division would have pushed Atlanta to the 10-win mark and on the playoff border.

A two- or three-win improvement in the division should be a realistic goal this season, and one that needs to be accomplished if the Falcons are going to punch their ticket to the playoffs.