Falcons have made the NFC playoff race even more interesting

Hey, remember when we were panicking about the Atlanta Falcons? Just a few weeks ago they were 3-3 with a scuffling offense, and the main narrative surrounded the job security of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

Well, we wouldn’t say the Falcons are out of the woods yet, but they’ve recovered nicely from that shaky start, winning three of their last four games. They now sit at 6-4 after a road win over the Seattle Seahawks and currently own the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff race.

Matt Ryan led a touchdown drive on his opening possession, and the Falcons took advantage of a Seahawks interception to get a quick 14-0 lead. They sat on that lead for the entire game, and while the Seahawks made a bunch of mini-comebacks, Atlanta always kept them at arm’s distance. They eventually escaped with a 34-31 victory when Blair Walsh’s 52-yard field goal attempt fell short.

Once again, the Falcons got the win thanks to big plays from their defense. Adrian Clayborn, one week removed from a six-sack game, returned a Russell Wilson fumble for a touchdown, which put the Falcons in front, 21-7, and immediately stole the win back after the Seahawks had a scoring drive of their own. Holding Seattle to three field goals (and a fourth attempt, which Pete Carroll inexplicably turned into a fake) also played a big part in the finish.

It’s an impressive win for the Falcons, even with the Seahawks having a billion injuries on defense. They’re still a contender in the NFC South, which is easily the best division in football this year. The New Orleans Saints are in first place at 8-2, but the Carolina Panthers are right behind at 7--3 and Atlanta is hanging around at 6-4. If the season ended today, all three teams would make the playoffs.

Following the holiday weekend, Atlanta hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings at home, before embarking on an absolute gauntlet of division rivals to close out the regular season.

If the Falcons do well in that stretch, then there’s little doubt that they’ve earned a playoff spot.

The past 12 months has been a bizarre roller coaster for the Falcons, who went from having an explosive offense with the reigning MVP, to a humiliating punchline in the Super Bowl, to a strange and uninspired start to this season. Now they’re major players in the postseason race — which is looking more stacked than ever right now — and look like they’re gearing up to make a run at the right time.

Maybe we shouldn’t have doubted the Falcons, after all. While far from a perfect team, Dan Quinn has led the Falcons through troubled times before and he’s doing it again. They’ll be fine.