Mark Bradley Blog
Mark Bradley Blog

The Falcons have really good players. So why are they 3-3?

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn speaks to the media following an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Credit: Mark Bradley

Credit: Mark Bradley

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn speaks to the media following an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
By Mark Bradley
Oct 23, 2017

The Atlanta Falcons have: the NFL's reigning MVP, its best receiver, its highest-paid running back, its best center, its leading sack man of 2016 and one of its five best cornerbacks. Pro Football Focus has rated this roster the NFL's best .

The Atlanta Falcons are 3-3, having lost three in a row against AFC East opposition. They've scored 41 points over those three games. Last season they averaged 33.8 per game. They just went 91 minutes and 28 seconds -- the equivalent of six quarters -- between points. Over those 91-1/2 minutes, they were outscored 43-0.

They're third in the NFC South, a division they won last season by two games. They were beaten Sunday night in Foxborough, Mass. with barely a whimper. They keep saying they should be better than this, and they're right. They should.

Personnel-wise, they cannot cry hunger. (See first paragraph.) But if they have the players and they aren't winning, what's left to blame but the coaching?

More soon.

About the Author

Mark Bradley is a sports columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has been with the AJC since 1984.

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