Despite a lot of growing pains, the 2021 season wasn’t all bad for the Atlanta Falcons. It’s taking time for head coach Arthur Smith to settle in, and Calvin Ridley missing most of the season didn’t help the offense. There were plenty of good things from 2021. The selection of Kyle Pitts was an excellent one, and he set the record for yardage for a rookie tight end, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards. The touchdown production should only get better going forward. Cordarrelle Patterson did it all for the Falcons as a running back, scoring 11 total touchdowns and passing 1,100 scrimmage yards. The defense found another cornerstone piece in A.J. Terrell, who played phenomenal football at corner in his second season. He’s quickly grown into a top corner in the NFL and didn’t allow more than 32 yards in coverage in any game in 2021 according to PFF.
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