The Falcons suffered two tough losses against the Indianapolis Colts. The first was the loss of a winnable game where the Falcons did everything wrong. The second, and more impactful loss, is Keanu Neal. The defense loses their enforcer and tone setter too early for the second season in a row.
Dan Quinn struggled to replace Neal in 2018. Despite competent safeties on the market at the time, including Eric Reid, the Falcons tried to turn Jordan Richards into a starter. With the eventual injury to Ricardo Allen, the Falcons did get to see a lot more of Damontae Kazee.