Atlanta has been out of the playoff picture for a while now, but the Falcons may have more to play for in the final week than any team in the NFC South.
They have a shot to make history and turn out something positive in a season that did not go the way they planned. Atlanta can put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
This is their 44th season and they have never been able to follow up a good season with another one. At 8-7, they now have a chance to do that. That is plenty of motivation as the Falcons head to Tampa Bay next week.
Getting to 9-7 would be a moral victory and there is nothing wrong with moral victories. In a lot of ways (mainly due to injuries), this has been a star-crossed season for the Falcons. They are ready to move on and consecutive winning seasons would help that process.
Assume they get all their injured players back next year and the Falcons have a good core. Make a few offseason tweaks to the defense, which actually has improved in recent weeks, and they probably can be a playoff team in 2010. But they still can be a winning team in the 2009 season and that’s important.
They have a shot to make history and turn out something positive in a season that did not go the way they planned. Atlanta can put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
This is their 44th season and they have never been able to follow up a good season with another one. At 8-7, they now have a chance to do that. That is plenty of motivation as the Falcons head to Tampa Bay next week.
Getting to 9-7 would be a moral victory and there is nothing wrong with moral victories. In a lot of ways (mainly due to injuries), this has been a star-crossed season for the Falcons. They are ready to move on and consecutive winning seasons would help that process.
Assume they get all their injured players back next year and the Falcons have a good core. Make a few offseason tweaks to the defense, which actually has improved in recent weeks, and they probably can be a playoff team in 2010. But they still can be a winning team in the 2009 season and that’s important.
Pat Yasinskas | email
NFL- ESPN NFC South Blogger
- Joined ESPN in 2008
- Began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990
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Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
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