The Falcons are trending up over the past month. And while things are far from ideal in Atlanta, the team still controls its own destiny over the final seven games of the season.
After making steady progress up Touchdown Wire’s power rankings, the Falcons dropped on spot — going from No. 26 to No. 27 — after having a bye in Week 10. Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield isn’t writing the team off yet, though.
According to Schofield, the team should seriously consider Raheem Morris for head coach if he continues to win games, especially considering the strength of the remaining schedule:
I’m supposed to be posing a question here, so this is it: Has Morris done enough to secure the head coaching job on a permanent basis?
From where I sit, the answer is a resounding yes. Falcons owner Arthur Blank stated when the move to Morris was made that if he finished the season unbeaten, then he would have made a strong case for the job. To this point, he largely has. Now he might have gotten the benefit of a soft stretch in their schedule, as all four games came against teams with losing records. Coming out of their bye things get much tougher. They’ll face New Orleans twice, the Raiders, the Buccaneers twice, the Chargers and the Chiefs. That is a much tougher run than the start of their schedule. But if Morris guides them to a competitive finish down the stretch, he should get this job on a permanent basis.
It’s true that the Falcons are in a significantly tougher situation by having six early-season losses and needing to run the table against some of the NFL’s best.
Atlanta has a shot, though, especially with two games against the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints, who could be without quarterback Drew Brees down the stretch. The Falcons play their first matchup with the Saints this Sunday from New Orleans.
To get caught up on the game’s best storylines, make sure to check out our 10 things to watch for in Week 11 feature.
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