Why the Atlanta Falcons will make the playoffs

November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn looks on against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi

Dan Quinn’s will of fire

While watching the gut-wrenching loss to the 49ers, I couldn’t help but notice the demeanor of the Falcons head coach even in the most pressured situations. On a crucial fourth-and-1 call late in the fourth quarter, Quinn chose to challenge the call of first down made after fullback Bruce Miller seemingly crossed the marker.

At the time of the actual play, you could see Quinn jumping up and down in excitement as he believed that the fullback had not gained enough to gain the first down. After challenging the play and losing it as well as a timeout, Quinn showed no signs of discouragement and continued to impersonate the competitiveness and will to finish that he so often preaches.

This reason is one that not only could push the Falcons to the playoffs, but on a deep run. As seen many times in the NFL, a football team often mimics the persona of their head coach. Quinn’s fire will push the Falcons to play for him and give the team the push needed for these last eight weeks.

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