No matter what happens, the Atlanta Falcons are allergic to winning football games. And in their Week 14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, everything that could go wrong somehow went wrong. The Falcons were thrashed 37-9, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention after falling to 4-9 on the season.
The Falcons have been eliminated from postseason contention pic.twitter.com/VnlGRjyRIV
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 7, 2025
After a 3-2 start, the Dirty Birds have lost seven of their last eight games which culminated in perhaps their most embarrassing loss yet. The Falcons and Seahawks were tied 6-6 at halftime after Atlanta's lone touchdown was overturned, but things went downhill as soon as the second half kicked off.
Before anyone took a single play from scrimmage out of the locker room, Rashid Shaheed returned the second half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons were out-scored 31-3 in the second half and were eliminated from playoff contention all because they were unable to stop the bleeding.
Falcons have officially been eliminated from playoff contention after loss to Seahawks
The season was long over way before the loss made it official, but that doesn't make the result sting any less. For the eighth consecutive season, the Falcons have missed the playoffs, as the hayday of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones feels like an increasingly distant memory with every passing defeat.
It's not like we're the Jets or Browns where the season was expected to be a wash to prepare for 2026 either. There were legitimate playoff aspirations in Atlanta entering the 2025 season, but this season has made it clear that Morris and the coaching staff are what's holding a great roster back.
The offense has no shortage of talent, and if you told fans earlier this season that the defense (especially the pass rush) looked this good, they would have expected this team to be atop the NFC standings, but instead, will somehow be picking inside the top 10 of a loaded 2026 NFL Draft class.
To make matters even worse, fans can't even think about the 2026 NFL Draft. Terry Fontenot traded Atlanta's 2026 first-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams on draft day last year to move up for James Pearce Jr., and while Pearce has been a stud, the loss of a premium draft pick like that still stings.
On paper, the Falcons boast one of the most promising rosters in the NFL, but games aren't played on paper. Their win over the Bills earlier this season was the pinnacle of the season, but unfortunately, it's another season that's fallen short of expectations as another regime change looms.