Atlanta Falcons regular season success will start Thursday night
Despite what some may say, the preseason matters to the Atlanta Falcons and will go a long way in determining how the team will fair during the regular season.
We all know that the 2008 Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason before going 0-16. Do not let the anomaly fool you, there is a lot to lose or gain from preseason games. The preseason is where you build depth, which is what cost the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018.
The Falcons record in the preseason for both 2017 & 2018? 0-8. The Falcons went win-less in the preseason the last two years combined and the way their seasons went was reflective of the lack of preseason productivity.
Yes, there are going to be plenty that disagree with that notion, but Dan Quinn’s record is a mirror image of what this team does in the preseason.
In 2015, the Falcons went 2-2 in the preseason; their season record was 8-8.
In 2016, the Falcons went 3-1 in the preseason and made a run to the Super Bowl.
In 2017, the Falcons went 0-4 and never looked right in the regular season. We would all agree that despite the record, they were sloppy on both sides of the ball and never looked like they ever got into a rhythm as a team.
Finally, in 2018, the Falcons again went 0-4 and the season was headed for an absolute disaster but was salvaged by winning three straight games to end the year.
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The preseason may not matter to some teams, but it clearly matters to Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons. As we have discussed several times, the Falcons must utilize their five preseason games to build depth, establish an identity and grab momentum as they head into a very difficult regular season.