“Just watched Rogers hand off sneak to the corner of the end zone & catch a pass! Hmmmmmm,” tweeted the Marvel superstar Samuel L Jackson before the Falcons NFC Championship game against the Packers on January 22, 2017. He explained it was his signal to his favorite NFL team, the Falcons. But Dan Quinn had a powerful unit in place. And they easily qualified for the Super Bowl LI, which they lost to the Patriots. But times have changed.

This year, the Falcons were eliminated with an 8-9 record. And the 8-year playoff drought has taken its toll on the Hollywood star. He ditched his childhood allegiances from being the Morehouse College to the MVP favorite of this year, Lamar Jackson & Ravens. In an Instagram post on January 11, Jackson posted a photo wearing a hoodie that had the words ‘IN L WE TRUZ.’ He even wrote on the photo, ‘&THASS DA TROOF.‘

This year, Lamar Jackson has rallied his offense to the playoffs with a 12-5 victory. They even humbled the Steelers in the wild-card game by a 28-14 win. With 16 of 21 passes (76.1% completion rate) in 175 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, he dominated from the kickoff. What’s more amazing about him is his ability as a dual-threat quarterback.

Against Russell Wilson’s unit, he also recorded 15 rushes in 86 yards. As a unit, the Steelers had a 11 rushes for 29 yards. Even Mike Tomlin praised the Ravens QB, calling his ‘unique talent’ the only difference between both teams. That’s true.

The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender this year. With other talented players like Derrick Henry, they carry the edge over others. In the divisional game, they play against the Bills. That would settle the MVP debate between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. It would be exciting.

Away from the playoffs limelight, the Falcons are secretly focusing on rebuilding. And it starts with hiring talented people. The task is enormous.

Falcons in competition with Lamar Jackson & co. to sign the star WR

CBS Sports Cody Benjamin made a huge statement on January 12 that Tyreek Hill could arrive at the Falcons. He said, “Hill could be viewed as a blue-chip missing piece for a now-younger offensive core, and as a bonus, he was born and raised in the Georgia area.” But the task wouldn’t be easy as the Ravens, Commanders, Packers, and Chargers are also interested in him.

Additionally, the Falcons also parted ways with Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Lake and Defensive Line Coach Jay Rodgers. The defense was almost absent in the first 11 games as they had only 10 sacks, but had a late pickup as they finished the season with 31 sacks. In the last 2 games, they gave away 74 points, losing both games.

The two potential candidates are Steve Wilks and Jeff Ulbrich. While the former has added experience working as head coach of the Cardinals in 2018 and Panthers in 2022, the former became the Jets HC mid-season before they fired him. So, the search is on. That’s the only way forward.