Falcons, Buccaneers set to wrap up disappointing seasons
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Tampa Bay in Week 6.
Two of the more disappointing teams in the NFL will wrap up their season when the Atlanta Falcons visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in a matchup of NFC South rivals.
The Falcons (6-9) have won two games in a row and are still far from achieving their expectations but there remains plenty of motivation for the club to finish on a strong note.
If Atlanta can knock off the Buccaneers for the second time this season, it will finish with a 7-9 record. A win, which would hurt the team's draft standing, would leave the club in sole possession of second place in the division.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn sees the importance in finishing 7-9 rather than 6-10.
"The two numbers don't correlate to me more than just getting a win," Quinn said. "Seeing the guys in the locker room, their energy for one another, that's what kind of lit me up to know that we have a lot of fighters and guys that it's really important to."
Quinn will finish with the worst record of his four-year tenure. After going 8-8 in 2015, Atlanta was 11-5 and went to the Super Bowl in 2016, and 10-6 last season before losing to the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.
The Falcons were ravaged by injuries throughout the season and endured a 1-4 start, but revived their playoff hopes by winning three straight -- only to see those dreams dashed by a five-game losing streak. Quinn views winning the last two games as a positive sign moving forward.
"To see that kind of connection and toughness from this group, I'm proud of that," Quinn said. "It's been a difficult time, man, no question about it, in terms of not taking our opportunities when they were there.
"But to see the fight and resolve, that means a lot, and I know we'll fight our tails off again this week."
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is 5-9 and head coach Dirk Koetter knows his job is in jeopardy. Koetter is only 19-28 and his future with the franchise, along with general manager Jason Licht, is in doubt.
Koetter has made plenty of mistakes since he went 9-7 in his first year as the team's head coach in 2016. He waited too long before dismissing defensive coordinator Mike Smith and may have been too quick to bench quarterback Jameis Winston after three games, but Koetter was not interested in revisiting either of those decisions.
"You can't play the what-if game," Koetter said. "Asked and answered. I don't play the what-if game ever because it doesn't do any good. You can't change what's already done."
Winston nearly rallied Tampa Bay from a 15-point deficit in the first meeting at Atlanta in Week 6, throwing for 395 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in a 34-29 loss.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan also had a big day against the Buccaneers with 355 yards and three scoring passes and may have to carry the offense again with running back Tevin Coleman dealing with a groin injury. Last week, Ryan threw touchdown passes to wide receivers Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley in the same game for the first time in 2018.
Jones had 10 catches for 144 yards in the first matchup, while Ridley has tied a franchise rookie record for most receiving touchdowns with nine. His 789 receiving yards leads all NFL rookies.
"He has had a great year," said Ryan of Ridley, Atlanta's first-round pick (No. 26) overall in this year's draft. "He has done a lot of really good things for us. When he has gotten the opportunities, he has made plays."
Tampa Bay ranks 29th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game but new defensive coordinator Mark Duffner managed to turn the unit around in the second half of the season. The Buccaneers were allowing 34.6 points per game before Duffner took over. They have allowed an average of 25.7 points since.
Duffner, 65, has coached football for more than four decades, most of it in the NFL. He knows when you lose, there will be changes.
"It's what makes the business tough, but you kind of know it going in," Duffner said. "I think your focus is always one game at a time. That's what it is. It's one week at a time and one year at a time. You focus in on that and that's what this business promotes in terms of how things go."
Recent Stories
Rams hard at work despite earning bye
The Los Angeles Rams will continue to stay hard at work despite earning a bye through the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Players will continue to visit the ...
Packers' lost season includes losing Rodgers to concussion
Green Bay's 6-9-1 season ended with Aaron Rodgers getting knocked out of Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Detroit Lions with a concussion. That was dubious and fitting ...
49ers will retain defensive coordinator Saleh
The San Francisco 49ers gave up a lot of points and did not force many turnovers, but Robert Saleh will return for his third season as the 49ers' defensive coordinator, ...
GM Licht says Winston is Bucs' quarterback
Dirk Koetter was fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach on Sunday, but his quarterback will be staying.
General manager Jason Licht, who will lead the search ...
Chargers get another chance against Ravens
The Los Angeles Chargers didn't have to wait long for a chance to avenge their Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Los Angeles was shut down by Baltimore's stout ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...