Falcons appear headed for historic collapse
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons, under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, are in the midst of a potentially historic collapse.
After starting the season 5-0, they are now 6-5 after dropping five of six games and are in danger of not making the playoffs.
Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, 66 of 72 teams (91.7 percent) that started 5-0 went on to make the playoffs, according to STATS research.
If the Falcons, who play at Tampa Bay (5-6) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, can’t fix their turnover woes and quarterback Matt Ryan can’t shake his slump, the Falcons could become the seventh team not to make the playoffs after starting the season 5-0.
If the playoffs started today, the Falcons would not qualify. They are tied with Seattle (6-5), which has a tiebreaker advantage (better conference record) over the Falcons.
The only teams that did not make the playoff after starting 5-0 were the 2009 Denver Broncos (8-8), the 2009 New York Giants (8-8), the 2003 Minnesota Vikings (9-7), the 1993 New Orleans Saints (8-8) and the 1987 Washington Redskins (8-8).
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
