For Atlanta Falcons, Desperation is a Stinky Cologne
The Falcons may or may not defeat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday; at this point, just like their 4-4 record, it could go either way.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports says “I think the desperate Falcons find a way to win it.” The Atlanta Falcons may or may not defeat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday; at this point, just like their 4-4 record, it could go either way. But that opening quote is a perfect summation of Atlanta’s players, coaches, and fans’ state of mind. There are no how’s; just why’s. How are the Falcons going to win? Who knows? They just know why they have to win: because they are, halfway through the season, dangerously close to suffering the same fate of the team that beat them 20-17 on Sunday.
With the benefit of hindsight, the Falcons should have made Kyle Shanahan an offer he couldn’t refuse (or at the very least replaced him with someone of a more temperate temperament). We certainly can’t blame Steve Sarkisian for Julio Jones falling flat on his face in the end zone, but what about Matt Ryan’s overall performance? Matty Ice threw 193 of 279 passes for 2,636 yards with 19 touchdowns, four picks and a passer rating of 115.8, and completed 56.8% of his end zone passes, while the Falcons averaged an NFL-high 32.8 points in the first half of the 2016 season with Shanahan calling the offense.
In contrast, Ryan has gone 177 of 270 for 2,157 yards with 11 touchdowns, seven picks and a passer rating of 92.8, and has and completed 48.7% of his end zone passes, while Atlanta is averaging 21.3 points per game, good for 17th in the league. Actually, that’s a proper way of putting it; the Falcons’ offense is good, but it’s not Super Bowl-good. It’s good in a middle-of-the road sort of way. It’s better than bad but it’s just not good enough. But how much of that is Sarkisian’s fault? The Panthers still have the same offensive coordinator from their 2015 Super Bowl run, Mike Shula, but Cam Newton, though playing better now than last season, has yet to regain his 2015 MVP level.
Which is what ESPN says Ryan has lost and needs to find again. Perhaps he left it at the Georgia Dome? Both Ryan and head coach Dan Quinn have recently said that the Falcons will have to come up with explosive plays in the second half of the season, such as the two 50 plus-yard plays they had in their win over the Jets. Good luck with that, though, if the offense has as short an attention span as the defense. the coaching staff talked time and again about stopping the run after Atlanta allowed the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots more than 100 running yards, but lo and behold, the Falcons allowed the Panthers a season-worst 201 running yards.
Next: Defense Picked the Right Time to Click
In the end, whether you believe in luck or not, the Falcons’ season may come down to that; either they get as lucky as they did against the Detroit Lions in week 3, or they get as unlucky as Julio Jones dropping that pass in the red zone. Atlanta could become the most luck-dependent team since the Colts.