AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2005 > October > 04
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
3-1, but no cushion
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A quarter way through the season, the Falcons are 3-1 with the benchmark early-season test against New England this Sunday. Entering this season, there were a lot of concerns about Atlanta’s ability to get through the first four or five games. Heading into the game with the Patriots with a losing record could have put them in a bad spot and depending on the outcome of that game, it could have been an uphill battle to get back to the playoffs.
However, they’re two games above .500 and of their next five opponents, only Miami has a winning record.
That said, the Falcons trail Tampa Bay by a game in the NFC South and Carolina and New Orleans are 2-2. The NFC South is shaping up to be the NFL’s toughest division, which is why it is crucial for Atlanta to stockpile as many wins against non-division teams — especially the remaining games against the woeful NFC North (Detroit, Chicago, Green Bay,).
Players and coaches feel they have set themselves up well. They aren’t approaching Sunday’s as a team with a plus-.500 cushion that can sustain a loss and be OK, but as a team looking to beat both of last season’s Super Bowl participants (the Falcons dropped the Eagles 14-10 in the season-opener).
I know some of you hate the idea of throwing questions out there, but I think we can get some interesting thoughts on how you feel the Falcons have positioned themselves for the final 12 games. And if you don’t want to look that far down the road, provide some thoughts on how things have gone so far, or how you think things could play out within the division.
