Atlanta Falcons: Why kicking field goal was the right call

As the clock was ticking down within three minutes, the Atlanta Falcons made a difficult choice to go for the easy points in a field goal, thus leaving them down on the scoreboard in the waning moments of the game. What most will say was the wrong decision by head coach Dan Quinn, was in fact the correct call to make in that moment.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and yes, they may have been able to score from the 3-yard line. But in what had been tough sledding for the offense against the NaVorro Bowman-led defense, a field goal seemed a lot more realistic in the closing seconds of the game.

This was not a poor call, and I believe many coaches around the NFL would have made the same call after seeing the success of the defense in the fourth.

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Poor effort and execution has been the all too familiar trademarks of the last four games as Atlanta has lost three of those. But the leadership of DQ has never been questioned, until Sunday’s controversial reserve call of taking the easy points. This sort of “headhunting” has become all to common amidst football fans.

Though the Falcons endured a gut-wrenching loss to an underwhelming 49ers team, this play call was the right one because it showed the team that Dan Quinn trusted in his defense that was brought into question earlier that week. Even though it’s another black eye for Atlanta, having a head coach that stands behind their player and will trust them in every facet of the game is what the ultimate goal is.

Everyone knows that the offense should be performing much better than they have recently, but that is not the defense’s fault for their shortcomings. In fact, the defense has performed extremely well in the past couple of weeks, but appeared to be lost without their leader, William Moore, who is still battling to get back on the field.

In football everything is based on a matter of inches, and on Sunday, it was only a few of them that kept Atlanta from regaining the ball and kicking the game winning field goal.

Every fan is the best coach in their own opinion, and yes, the plan backfired against Dan Quinn as his defense let him down by being unable to stop the 49ers during their last drive. But if that plan worked, the praises would be thick and he would be revered as a mastermind.

This was the right call, and it should be called next time if they are in a similar situation.