Post by Guvmintcheeze on Oct 21, 2014 13:34:07 GMT
Still a longshot but 2-5 Falcons have chance in weak NFC South
A couple games ago, Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith talked about how winning the NFC South would be the "cleanest" way for his team to make the playoffs despite a slow start.
Well, now the Falcons sit at 2-5 and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak as they prepare for Sunday's matchup with the Detroit Lions (5-2) in London. Optimism has all but faded, at least in the eyes of irate fans. And the division race isn't something Smith really wants to discuss anymore.
"This division is going to be a competitive division every single time. ...I'm not concerned about the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Smith said after Sunday's 29-7 loss at Baltimore. "We've got to focus on the Atlanta Falcons. And together, we will pull out of this."
The Falcons were 2-5 to start the 2013 season, then lost their next four and imploded to a 4-12 finish. According to ESPN Stats a& Information, only four teams that have started the season 2-5 have gone on to make the playoffs since the playoffs expanded in 1990: the 2011 Broncos (8-8), the 2002 Jets (9-7), the 1995 Lions (10-6), and the 1990 New Orleans Saints (8-8). That Broncos team was quarterbacked by Tim Tebow, so maybe the Falcons truly do have hope.
Not to mention the sad state on the NFC South means the Falcons have an outside chance to win the division title. There is no team currently above .500 in the division, with the Panthers leading the way at 3-3-1.
The Falcons have the best record in NFC South play at 2-0 with wins against the Saints and Buccaneers, but both of those games were at home. They have three consecutive division road games upcoming -- at Tampa Bay (Nov. 9), at Carolina (Nov. 16) and at New Orleans (Dec. 21) -- and they are 0-4 on the road this season.
Just how bad has the NFC South been this season? The Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are a combined 8-17-1, including 2-12-1 on the road. The last time a division was as bad record-wise as the NFC South was on the road through 7 weeks was the 2010 NFC West, which was 2-12-0, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Based on combined opponents' records, the Falcons have the toughest remaining schedule (31-26-1) while the Panthers have the easiest (22-35). Only one team left on Carolina's schedule currently sits above .500, and that's the Philadelphia Eagles (5-1).
Falcons receiver Julio Jones was bold enough to say his team is good enough to finish 11-5. Such doesn't seem realistic at this point, but you wonder if an 8-8 Falcons team might actually have a shot. Then anything could happen once you make the postseason. Just ask the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks from a few years back.
But where will the Falcons find wins the rest of the way? They have four road games remaining outside of Sunday's trip to London. They face the NFC-West leading Cardinals (5-1) at home. And the Falcons travel to Green Bay (5-2) on Dec. 8, the exact same date they got buried in the snow at Lambeau Field last season without Aaron Rodgers in the Packers' lineup.
Taking care of business at home against the Browns, Cardinals, Steelers, and Panthers would give the Falcons four more wins, but 6-10 isn't going to get it done. They likely have to go at least 6-3 the rest of the way and beat Carolina at least once over the next nine to have a legitimate shot, all while watching to see how the rest of the division unfolds.
"It's no different when we've been successful, too," quarterback Matt Ryan said of keeping an eye on the division standings. "You always kind of know where things shake out and where things stand. It is what it is.
"We're in the position that we're in. We know where everybody else is at. But I think (Coach) Smitty is right: At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what everybody else does. Ultimately, we've got to worry about and we've got to concern ourselves with what we've got to do to get better."
A couple games ago, Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith talked about how winning the NFC South would be the "cleanest" way for his team to make the playoffs despite a slow start.
Well, now the Falcons sit at 2-5 and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak as they prepare for Sunday's matchup with the Detroit Lions (5-2) in London. Optimism has all but faded, at least in the eyes of irate fans. And the division race isn't something Smith really wants to discuss anymore.
"This division is going to be a competitive division every single time. ...I'm not concerned about the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Smith said after Sunday's 29-7 loss at Baltimore. "We've got to focus on the Atlanta Falcons. And together, we will pull out of this."
The Falcons were 2-5 to start the 2013 season, then lost their next four and imploded to a 4-12 finish. According to ESPN Stats a& Information, only four teams that have started the season 2-5 have gone on to make the playoffs since the playoffs expanded in 1990: the 2011 Broncos (8-8), the 2002 Jets (9-7), the 1995 Lions (10-6), and the 1990 New Orleans Saints (8-8). That Broncos team was quarterbacked by Tim Tebow, so maybe the Falcons truly do have hope.
Not to mention the sad state on the NFC South means the Falcons have an outside chance to win the division title. There is no team currently above .500 in the division, with the Panthers leading the way at 3-3-1.
The Falcons have the best record in NFC South play at 2-0 with wins against the Saints and Buccaneers, but both of those games were at home. They have three consecutive division road games upcoming -- at Tampa Bay (Nov. 9), at Carolina (Nov. 16) and at New Orleans (Dec. 21) -- and they are 0-4 on the road this season.
Just how bad has the NFC South been this season? The Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are a combined 8-17-1, including 2-12-1 on the road. The last time a division was as bad record-wise as the NFC South was on the road through 7 weeks was the 2010 NFC West, which was 2-12-0, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Based on combined opponents' records, the Falcons have the toughest remaining schedule (31-26-1) while the Panthers have the easiest (22-35). Only one team left on Carolina's schedule currently sits above .500, and that's the Philadelphia Eagles (5-1).
Falcons receiver Julio Jones was bold enough to say his team is good enough to finish 11-5. Such doesn't seem realistic at this point, but you wonder if an 8-8 Falcons team might actually have a shot. Then anything could happen once you make the postseason. Just ask the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks from a few years back.
But where will the Falcons find wins the rest of the way? They have four road games remaining outside of Sunday's trip to London. They face the NFC-West leading Cardinals (5-1) at home. And the Falcons travel to Green Bay (5-2) on Dec. 8, the exact same date they got buried in the snow at Lambeau Field last season without Aaron Rodgers in the Packers' lineup.
Taking care of business at home against the Browns, Cardinals, Steelers, and Panthers would give the Falcons four more wins, but 6-10 isn't going to get it done. They likely have to go at least 6-3 the rest of the way and beat Carolina at least once over the next nine to have a legitimate shot, all while watching to see how the rest of the division unfolds.
"It's no different when we've been successful, too," quarterback Matt Ryan said of keeping an eye on the division standings. "You always kind of know where things shake out and where things stand. It is what it is.
"We're in the position that we're in. We know where everybody else is at. But I think (Coach) Smitty is right: At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what everybody else does. Ultimately, we've got to worry about and we've got to concern ourselves with what we've got to do to get better."
