The Atlanta Falcons are mathematically still alive with three weeks left in the season, but there has never been a more definitive blow inflicted to this club in 2023 than last Sunday’s loss to the 1-12 Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.
The Falcons have taken the early season hope they provided us with their 2-0 record and ripped the rug out from under us, teasing us and asking how we could be so naive to expect anything different.
They now face the fiery Indianapolis Colts, who did not let the season-ending injury to highly rated rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson derail their season. It definitely appeared like way after losing three straight in the aftermath and falling to 3-5 halfway through the season. They are 5-1 since then, and they come to Atlanta sensing blood in the water.
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Let’s take a look at the Falcons’ conditions if they beat the Colts in Week 16, as well as the scenario if they lose.
If the Falcons win,
they will stay in contention for the division title (don’t yell at me for bringing this up, I’m just covering all bases). A Buccaneers loss to the Jaguars would create yet another three-way tie atop the NFC South amongst the Bucs, Saints, and Falcons, with New Orleans already having lost to the Rams on Thursday night.
We’re looking forward to next week, but if the Saints beat Tampa and Atlanta beats the Bears, it would set up a Week 18 confrontation in New Orleans between the Falcons and the Saints for the division title.
Even if Tampa Bay beats Jacksonville, Atlanta will be in trouble because Tampa is only one win away from clinching the division against Carolina in Week 18. At this juncture in the season, no serious club can afford to lose to Carolina. The Falcons would have to try to make a run for the Wildcard, which appears doubtful unless they go unbeaten the rest of the way.
The Falcons are presently scheduled to choose 10th in the NFL Draft. Victory may lower them to 12th at the conclusion of the weekend.
If the Falcons fail to win,
The free fall would continue, as would the disappointing results of the Arthur Smith era, as this would be his third straight losing season, and Atlanta’s sixth consecutive losing season overall.
A Buccaneers victory over Jacksonville would not necessarily eliminate them from division contention, but it would put those chances on life support. If the plug isn’t pulled next week, it will most likely be pulled in Week 18 during the Bucs-Panthers game.
The franchise would be in the midst of a late-season collapse, which should be enough for ownership to rethink this coaching staff, which has done very little positive in three full seasons despite being given every resource to be successful in 2023. No, I’m not buying the “bad quarterback” excuse because Arthur Smith appears to have hand-picked Desmond Ridder as his quarterback.
If every club one game worse than them wins this weekend — the Titans, Chargers, Jets, Giants, and Bears — the Falcons will move up to fifth in the draft order rankings (extremely unlikely, I know, but it is a theoretical possibility).
The Falcons will down to 2-16 all-time versus the Colts. Their most recent victory came in 2011 over Curtis Painter.
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