Santa is not real and neither are the 2017 Falcons

Atlanta Falcons failed to generate a win on Sunday against one of the best teams in the NFL. Perhaps it is time to accept the fact that this Falcons team is not capable of making it back to the Super Bowl this season.

It was a Fall day in the late 1980’s. There I was in kindergarten, learning and enjoying life. Little did I know, my world as I knew it was about to crumble. A fellow classmate, Joshua, would share some earth shattering information with me. On that Fall day, Joshua opened my eyes to the truth. He told me that Santa Claus is not real.

I was devastated. I felt like my world was crashing down. Later that day, I told my mother of the news that was shared with me. Hoping she would refute this bit of information, she instead confirmed what I did not want to believe. Mom said it was time that I knew the truth, it was time for me to let go. Santa Claus is not real.

If you are reading this and did not know the truth about Santa, then perhaps it is time that you did.

Likewise, if you are an Atlanta Falcons fan and you are reading this, then perhaps it is time that you knew the truth. And the truth is, this Falcons team is not going back to the Super Bowl this season.

Certainly I do not enjoy playing the role of “classmate Joshua”, but someone has to be realistic, someone has to share the truth, and that someone is going to be me. And before you attempt to refute me, look back on the twelve games the Falcons have played this season and tell me if you truly believe this inconsistent group could really beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia or the Minnesota Vikings (a team they just lost to at home nonetheless) in Minnesota.

Santa is not real and neither are the 2017 NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and slid to a 7-5 record. The game was built as a showdown between two NFC powerhouses. But instead, one NFC team prevailed and further solidified themselves as one of the best in the NFL. While the other organization failed to prove their capability and dominance.

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Since the greatest collapse in sports history (Super Bowl LI), Atlanta Falcons fans have hoped and wished, believed and pondered, if their team would make it back to the biggest stage in American sports. Through the 2017 NFL Draft and free agent signings, Falcons fans believed that the organization was taking steps towards repeating their NFC dominance.

But reality reared it’s ugly head on Sunday, as the Falcons fell to the far more superior Vikings. Just like they have fallen to four other teams this season, two of which the Falcons had no business losing to (Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins).

Some said that Sunday’s game against Minnesota was going to be a measuring stick for the Falcons. Well…the measurement was taken. Now accept the results.

For those that have hoped for, or still may be hoping for an improved version of the 2016 Atlanta Falcons, stop waiting by the fireplace, go ahead and eat those milk and cookies, an improved 2016 Falcons team is not coming down that chimney. Because they do not exist. At least not this season.

Maybe I am being a “Joshua”, maybe I am being an “Uncle Scrooge”, but it is time to embrace the truth Falcons fans. The Falcons had a perfect opportunity to show the world what they are capable of against the Vikings, but they failed. Atlanta’s defense allowed Minnesota an eight minute drive in the second half. That 89 yard drive resulted in a Vikings touchdown. The Falcons passed for a season low 173 yards against Minnesota. Grant it, Atlanta was facing a very tough Vikings defense, but when you have your sights set on a Super Bowl championship, there are no excuses. If you want to win a Super Bowl, you have to win with whoever you have on the field against whoever is lining up against you.

And yes, I am aware that Atlanta was missing two key players in their secondary on Sunday, but I’ve seen teams do a lot more with a lot less. No excuses. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Or, in the words of Falcons fan and Hall of Fame wrestler Ric Flair, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!”.

While this 2017 Falcons team has shown signs of greatness on both sides of the ball, they have failed to consistently live out the wishes and expectations set forth by the Falcons fan base. Regardless if a fan is willing to admit it or not, those that bleed Falcons red and black want nothing more than to return to the Super Bowl and finish what was started.

But that is not going to happen this season. I have seen this Falcons team play twelve games. And I feel comfortable in determining that they are not consistent enough to avoid all the errors and failures that will ultimately end their season short of obtaining the ultimate prize. Will the Falcons make the playoffs? I tend to think they will. But once January roles around, don’t expect to see a 2017 Falcons team magically transform into an elite NFL club. Don’t expect to look up into the sky and see a jolly guy in a sleigh led by eight reindeer. Santa does not exist and neither does the team Falcons fans were wishing for in 2017.

Of course I say all of this, yet the truth is, I still celebrate Christmas every year just like I did as a kid. And to be honest, a part of me still wants to believe Santa is real. Would it not be a miracle if the jolly guy really existed? Would it not be a miracle if the 2017 Atlanta Falcons turned out to be everything Falcons fans were hoping and wishing for?

Yes, it would absolutely be a miracle. But miracles happen right? I mean, they do not call it a Christmas miracle for nothing.