6-7 Falcons on Verge of NFL History

The Atlanta Falcons were flying high to open the 2015 season. Under rookie head coach Dan Quinn, Atlanta started a perfect 5-0, before falling to 1-7 in their following eight games. Now, at 6-7, the floundering Falcons are trying to avoid setting an ugly NFL record.

Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, no team that has started the season 5-0 has ended that same year below .500. To avoid that unwanted distinction, the Falcons would need to go 2-1 in their final three games.

It’s a tall order for a team that started off so strongly behind the play of running back Devonta Freeman and star wideout Julio Jones.

But with opposing defenses increasingly stacking the box against Freeman and putting double coverage on Jones, quarterback Matt Ryan has looked frequently flustered both by his lack of weapons, and resistance to change from much-maligned offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

As a result, the offense has been frequently shut down and the defense has been unable to hold down the fort (see: last week’s 38-0 drubbing in Carolina).

So what chance do the Falcons have of finishing at least 8-8 to end the season? This week the team heads to Jacksonville, who are not the playful pushover they once were, especially at home. With plenty to play for – the volatile AFC South crown is still very much open – and the Falcons’ playoff hopes rapidly dwindling, give this one to the Jags in a nail-biter.

If the Carolina Panthers win in week 15, they will clinch the NFC’s top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. It remains to be seen whether Ron Rivera will rest his starters despite the allure of a 16-0 regular season. If Cam Newton and company do swap shoulder pads for snapbacks, expect a Falcons win at home.

By week 17, it’s plausible that neither the Falcons nor New Orleans Saints will have anything to play for. But by then, it might be too late for Atlanta to salvage a lost season.

Even winning out from this point on is no guarantee of anything in a crowded conference, and the Falcons may well be left wondering what might have been after such a strong start.