The Falcons won six of their first 10 games and, after a bye this week, have six more to play. Yet in a clever turn of math, coaches and players say they’ve only reached the halfway point of the season.
The implication is clear: The Falcons are embracing the goal of going to the Super Bowl, which would require as many as four postseason victories.
The Falcons say the defeat at Philadelphia on Sunday did nothing to change their outlook.
“You have to get rest this week and have a mindset that we’re not preparing for the last six games of the season, but the mindset to play nine or 10 more,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said after the 24-15 loss. “That’s what you have to prepare for and that’s why you have to take advantage of these opportunities where you can get some rest and be fresh. That’ll be my message to everybody: Keep moving, but let your body and mind get right.”
The Falcons (6-4) lead the NFC South by 1 1/2 games over the Buccaneers (4-5) and Saints (4-5). They split two games against the Bucs and beat the Saints in the first of two meetings. Both of those teams also lost on Sunday, so the Falcons gave up no ground in the division.
The Falcons say they still like where they stand heading into the week off.
“Absolutely,” Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow said. “What we want is in front of us. It’s going to take a great effort going forward by everyone on the team to get where we want to be and play our best ball.”
After a comeback victory against the Packers in Week 8 and a dominating performance at Tampa Bay last week, the Falcons fell flat in Philadelphia.
Their top-ranked offense scored a season-low 15 points while struggling to run the ball and convert third downs. The defense gave up a season-high 208 yards rushing as the Eagles had three drives of at least 10 plays. And the Eagles had three long kickoff returns for good field position.
“Typically, you need two of three of those units to come through to win the game and that didn’t happen,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “As we enter our bye, which is really our midpoint of our season, it’s about our self-awareness, things we can improve upon. That’s what we set out to do. As I told the team, all of us are going to find something to improve upon. It’s not (easily) done but that’s what will take place.”
Even with their problems sustaining drives and stopping the run, the Falcons led 15-13 after Taylor Gabriel’s 76-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. But they never advanced the ball past midfield on their final four possessions.
The game marked their third loss this season after leading in the final period; the others were at Seattle and against the Chargers in the Georgia Dome. Quinn said he would spend time during the bye week trying to figure out how the Falcons can finish games stronger.
“What are the different ways for us to teach that, create that and simulate that so we are at our best?” he said. “That’s what it’s going to come down to when we return from our bye.”
Finishing is one area Quinn has emphasized since training camp. He also wants the Falcons to be “about the ball” by taking care it on offense and going after it on defense. They’ve made strides in that regard.
The Falcons forced two fumbles by the Eagles and, after Sunday’s games, were tied for fourth with 14 forced fumbles. They have eight giveaways against 11 takeaways for a plus-3 turnover margin that ranked tied for eighth-best in the league.
Quinn said the Falcons go into the bye week feeling good about their position.
“We do because of the team and what we stand for,” he said. “We have a real clear understanding of our identity as a team. That’s an important thing for (them) to know what they stand for, what they want to be about, what they want to play about. (To) a man, we were disappointed in our performance (Sunday) but that was not indicative of the other nine games that we’ve played. So we are pumped about where we are headed.”
