The playoffs are more than likely out of reach for the Falcons after a 1-4 start in 2019. Team owner Arthur Blank has said he would not fire head coach Dan Quinn after Sundays’ 53-32 loss to the Texans.
That means, like it or not, that Quinn will probably get the rest of the year to try and make this team play up to the high standard we all expected prior to the season.
With that in mind, here are four things the Falcons can try to figure out over their remaining 11 games.
Is Isaiah Oliver a long-term answer at cornerback?
Atlanta’s secondary got off to a good start over the first two games of the season. Since then, however, the unit has completely fallen apart. Second-year corner Isaiah Oliver started strong in his first year as the team’s No. 2 corner, but looks to have lost his confidence. Texans wideout Will Fuller had 14 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday. Teams are throwing away from Desmond Trufant and Oliver hasn’t been able to make them pay thus far. His future is still bright, but he needs to show he can be a starting caliber defensive back over the next 11 games.
Bye-bye Beasley?
Atlanta opted to keep defensive end Vic Beasley around despite his hefty $12.8 million cap hit with the hope that he would recapture some of his 2016 magic. So far, Beasley hasn’t looked like the potential building block he was once viewed as. He knows he must play better and with millions of dollars on the line, Beasley should be plenty motivated. He has 1.5 sacks this season, and was inches away from a handful of others. Time is running out for Beasley to prove 2016 wasn’t a fluke.
Can Freeman still be a capable starting running back?
Devonta Freeman has been nowhere close to the player he once was. In fairness to him, though, his offensive coordinator has done him no favors. Freeman is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry after never rushing for less than 4.0 as a starter. Falcons backup running back Ito Smith is averaging 5.2 yards per carry but has just 18 attempts. Can Freeman recapture his pre-injury form, or will the team move away from him as their primary back in 2020?
Has Dan Quinn lost this team?
By season’s end, we should have a pretty good idea if this Falcons team has checked out or not. Atlanta has the talent to go on a run over its final 11 games, and it’s not impossible. Back in 2015, the Detroit Lions started off 1-7, but the team won six of its final eight games to save Jim Caldwell’s job for another year. But do these Falcons players believe enough in the current schemes and coaches to turn things around? Time will tell.
