Atlanta Falcons 2011: Defense Still Stopping Them from Deep Playoff Push?

Year after year, the Atlanta Falcons have been on the rise but unable to make a significant deep playoff run. 

Last season, Matt Ryan and the Falcons posted a 13-3 record, which was an NFC best. However, the Falcons' regular season success didn't carry over well into the playoffs as they fell to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round by a score of 48-21. 

After the team's humiliating loss at the hands of the future Super Bowl champions, the Falcons were exposed to one major weakness: no playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.

Granted, offensively the Falcons were a very solid football team with the likes of Ryan, wide receiver Roddy White and running back Michael Turner, but their defense was the death of them in the postseason. 

As of right now, it appears that Atlanta's top and even possibly lone playmaker is defensive end John Abraham. 

Abraham may be the team's leader and solid contributor as he was selected to the Pro Bowl this past season, but he is getting up there in age as he's now 33 years old and has one year remaining on his contract with Atlanta.

By taking a quick glance at Atlanta's roster, there is no defensive player that puts fear into opposing offense's eyes—which is certainly a major issue.  

With the addition of Julio Jones, who'll line up opposite of White, quarterback Matt Ryan could potentially have a major breakout season in 2011. 

Ryan over the past couple of years has shown signs of improving every season. In fact, 2010 was his best season as he tossed 28 touchdowns and was only picked off nine times while recording a solid 91.0 passer rating. 

The Falcons undoubtedly have major issues on defense and still have some minor holes to fill on offense. 

Atlanta may be taking positive steps forward, but they're not going to win any Super Bowls based solely on their offense. It's almost like the Falcons are turning into the Indianapolis Colts, but they'll have far less success as Ryan isn't capable of carrying the entire team like Peyton Manning did with the Colts in their Super Bowl run.

The Falcons are extremely similar to their division rival the New Orleans Saints as they both have high-powered offenses with simply average defenses. Both the Saints and Falcons will compete for the division title in 2011, but both will need to watch out for the much more balanced Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Atlanta is definitely taking major strives forward after being significantly thrown back a few seasons thanks to Michael Vick's arrest and the midseason departure of Bobby Petrino.

General manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith have a promising future in Atlanta, but they'll probably not see a Super Bowl appearance in 2011, as their defense isn't nearly strong enough to take them to the next level in January.

This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @       TonySantorsa.