The Falcons just saved Dan Quinn’s job for another week
By John Buhler
Who saw this coming? The Atlanta Falcons snapped a six-game losing streak by beating the New Orleans Saints, keeping Dan Quinn around for another week.
It must have been a hell of a party in the state of Louisiana last night. The LSU Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road to stay perfect on their quest to make the College Football Playoff. That can be the only explanation for what we saw in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday because the one-loss New Orleans Saints just got drilled by the one-win Atlanta Falcons.
Yes, this is a bitter rivalry game between two NFC South games, but few people outside of Flowery Branch would have even given Dan Quinn and his team a chance in this ball game. Atlanta dominated throughout thanks to a ferocious pass rush, a solid ground game and consistency in the kicking game.
The Falcons had six quarterback sacks of Saints signal-caller Drew Brees on Sunday. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett led the way with 2.5. Outside linebacker Vic Beasley showed up today with 1.5. And both defensive end Adrian Clayborn and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell took Brees to the turf once apiece. The defensive line is Quinn’s calling card and the pass rush finally showed up.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan played alright in his first game back from an ankle injury, but it was the rushing attack that really led the Falcons on Sunday. Running backs DeVonta Freeman and Brian Hill paved the way for the Dirty Birds to have 143 rushing yards on 34 carries on the road against its archrival.
And then, there’s Younghoe Koo. Koo, who had kicked collegiately in-state at relatively nearby Georgia Southern, was 4-4 on his field-goal tries, including a long of 48. He gave Atlanta 14 points on the afternoon, besting former Georgia State star Wil Lutz of the Saints.
Overall, the Saints are still a team that can win the Super Bowl and the Falcons are a team that will struggle to win four games this year. That being said, this game illustrates the nature of a hostile rivalry where seemingly anything can happen.
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Atlanta wins, while New Orleans can go back to sleep after partying like it’s 2011. For Sean Payton and the Saints, this might be more than a burn-the-tape game, as the pass protection of Brees was atrocious. As for Quinn, he can celebrate at least one last victory as the head coach of the Falcons before owner Arthur Blank does the right thing and replaces him at the end of the season.