You can tell a lot about what coaches emphasize by the statistics they highlight beyond the obvious measures. Here are seven good and seven bad numbers Falcons coach Dan Quinn cited during his season-ending news conference on Monday:
The Good
- The offense ranked second in the league in third-down percentage.
- The Falcons had 42 drives of at least 10 plays, which Quinn said ranked first in the league.
- The Falcons ranked second in time of possession.
- The Falcons had 382 rushing plays (not counting quarterbacks) and 621 passing plays. "That (382 carries) was something from a balance standpoint we were certainly looking for," Quinn said.
- The Falcons ranked in the top 10 in the fewest number of "explosive" plays allowed, according to Quinn.
- The Falcons allowed 80 points in the fourth quarter, which Quinn said was among the fewest in the league.
- The Falcons had six interceptions in two-minute situations and ranked second with six red zone takeaways, Quinn said.
The Bad
- The Falcons had 30 giveaways, tied for fifth-most in the league. "That was the biggest stat for me," Quinn said.
- Quinn noted that the Falcons were 1-6 when they had a negative turnover margin.
- The Falcons scuttled scoring chances with eight turnovers in the red-zone and created them for opponents with 13 turnovers inside their own 40-yard line.
- The Falcons scored 339 points, tied for 21st in the league.
- Quinn said the Falcons didn't score enough from outside the red zone because they didn't have enough explosive plays.
- The Falcons ranked tied for 20th with 13 forced fumbles. "That comes from hitting the quarterback a lot, and we didn't get that done," Quinn said.
- The Falcons ranked 27th in defensive third-down percentage. "That's where we struggled the most (defensively)," Quinn said.
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