ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons can't let history bog them down after their off week. They're still holding first place in the dreadful NFC South. They're still in prime position to earn their first playoff berth since 2017.
That said, this remains a franchise best known for squandering a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl, which is merely the tip of an iceberg that has left Atlanta resembling the Titanic of the NFL through much of the team's nearly 60-year existence. The Falcons (6-5) have never won a Super Bowl, and they hardly looked like a title contender in their last two games before the bye. The high hopes of a 6-3 start were largely erased when Atlanta dropped a 20-17 decision to New Orleans, snapping the Saints' seven-game losing streak, and then got thoroughly embarrassed in a 38-6 rout by the middling Denver Broncos — the Falcons' most lopsided loss since 2021.
Just like that, a city used to so much disappointment since Atlanta entered the NFL in 1966 is sensing another gut punch. “No one game will ever define you,” coach Raheem Morris said defiantly after the loss to the Broncos. “This one game won’t define us.
I know this team will bounce back. It’s obviously a tough day for those guys. It’s a tough day for the organization, a tough day for the coaches.
But this organization is built on tough people.” When the Falcons return to practice, all eyes will be on $180 million quarterback Kirk Cousins to get the team back on track. Cousins landed a huge co.
