The show goes on for the struggling Falcons, who find themselves under water and running out of oxygen quickly, after suffering their fourth consecutive defeat.
Sitting at 3-6, the vibes could not be worse for this franchise and among this fanbase, as they gear up for a meeting against a Carolina Panthers team which is in the midst of their best season in years and who humiliated this very Falcons team 30-0 in Charlotte, in Week 3.
There’s not much to say about this season other than that we are in
the midst of a slow moving car crash, and that disaster has struck.
Here is the scenario the Falcons face if they beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, as well as if they lose.
If the Falcons win
They will complete their sixth consecutive season split against the Panthers, dating back to 2020. This would follow a run of three sweeps in four seasons the Birds had over Carolina at the tail end of the Dan Quinn era.
Atlanta’s four game winning streak would be snapped, but the vibes would likely still be very bad around Flowery Branch and amongst the fanbase. They would remain in third place in the division, but would at least deal a significant blow to Carolina’s playoff hopes.
Raheem Morris’ seat may be incredibly hot at the moment, given the failure in meeting expectations the Falcons had in Year 1 of his appointment and then the disaster we’ve now witnessed in Year 2. His chance at setting the stage for possibly keeping the job for a Year 3 would likely lie in the team taking advantage of this run of upcoming games, and rattling off a winning streak against the Saints and Jets to climb back to .500 after this one.
Atlanta’s playoff odds currently sit at a meager 7%, according to playoffstatus.com. A win here would not do much, as the damage has been done, but it would boost those odds into the double digits at 10%, also keeping the odds of winning the division constant at 2%.
If the Falcons lose
They will extend their losing streak to five games for the first time since Dan Quinn’s last gasp as head coach in 2020. Upon completion of that fifth game in the losing streak — a home defeat to the Carolina Panthers — Quinn was fired mid season and replaced by interim head coach Raheem Morris.
Morris’ seat might and absolutely should be on fire to the point where there should be legitimate consideration of relieving him of his duties as the team’s head coach, much like what happened with Quinn a little over five years ago. The fanbase will clamor for it, and the locker room may be lost with a putrid 3-7 season.
Carolina will sweep the Falcons in a season series for the first time since 2013, and for just the fourth time ever, with the other instances coming in 1997, 2005 and 2013. The Panthers would climb to above .500 with their playoff hopes in tact, while the Falcons could find themselves in a game against the Saints next week where the loser would sit in last place in the division.
Atlanta’s playoff odds according to playoffstatus.com would fall from 7% to 2%, with their division title odds falling to less than 1%. Even if they miraculously win out, it likely still would not be enough to end their long playoff drought.
