NEW ORLEANS — Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn said leading into Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints his team couldn’t afford to look ahead at the big picture in terms of the playoffs.
After Thursday’s 31-17 loss, the Falcons need to start looking ahead toward 2019.
The sense of urgency was missing once again in a must-win scenario, kind of like the lackadaisical performance at Cleveland a few weeks back. The end result was a third-consecutive loss and a dip to 4-7 in the standings.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, only four teams in the Super Bowl Era have started the season 4-7 or worse and qualified for the playoffs. The last was the 2014 Carolina Panthers, who actually started 3-7-1 yet won the NFC South at 7-8-1.
The Falcons don’t have such a luxury, with the Saints (10-1) currently running away with the division. Atlanta entered Sunday’s game with a 7 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Falcons had high hopes of pulling out a miracle and winning their final six games.
That was just a figment of their imagination.
When Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Calvin Ridley fumble the ball away in the red zone, you know it’s going to be a long night.
Ryan also had a ball deflected and picked off in the fourth quarter that led to the Saints’ game-clinching touchdown. Couple those elements with a non-existent running game, questionable playcalling, an offensive line that couldn’t keep Ryan off his back, and coverage breakdowns on defense, and it all added up to another miserable showing for a team initially touted as a Super Bowl contender.
The final five games of 2018, beginning with next week’s home contest with the Baltimore Ravens, should be used as an evaluation for coaches and players alike. Despite the 4-7 record, Quinn doesn’t appear to be on the hot seat with a three-year extension in hand through 2022. Owner Arthur Blank surely understands how injuries altered the complexion of the season, although Blank isn’t looking for excuses.
The reality is the Falcons had six starters placed on injured reserve, including Pro Bowlers Devonta Freeman, Deion Jones, and Keanu Neal. Playing without Jones, Neal, and Ricardo Allen made the defense much like a sieve, while Freeman’s absence on offense has been magnified by the run game struggles, with the Falcons missing his ability to make opponents miss.
A lot of folks will call for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian’s job, but the Falcons probably don’t want to make Ryan work with yet another offensive coordinator after Mike Mularkey, Dirk Koetter, and Kyle Shanahan. Players such as Vic Beasley Jr. and Desmond Trufant need to use the final five games to show they are more than worthy of their first-round pick status.
And the Falcons probably want to keep their cautious approach with arguably their best defensive player, Jones, who was activated from injured reserve a couple weeks ago but inactive for the past two games. Jones shouldn’t return this season.
Quinn needs to evaluate his offensive and defensive line, with Ryan being sacked six times against the Saints and the run game not getting a push, and the pass-rushers not consistently getting pressure on the defensive side.
In other words, there are a lot of problems the Falcons need to fix. Not being in the playoff field will give them a jump on resolving those issues.