Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith speaks to players on the sidelines during their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 14, 2014, in Atlanta. ATLANTA — In any normal NFL regular season, the Atlanta Falcons’ ninth loss of the year with two games still to play would have been reason enough for a eulogy inside the Georgia Dome late Sunday afternoon. Quite possibly for both the season and the head coach.
And that may still come to pass. Just because the Falcons toil in the NFC South — where mediocrity would actually be a vast improvement — doesn’t mean both their fans and front office don’t expect and deserve more than the product that lost 27-20 to Pittsburgh.
While it may bring momentary relief in some corners of Falcons Nation to remain in a virtual tie for the division despite a 5-9 record, the reality remains that the Falcons — viewed a Super Bowl contender at season’s dawn — are now all but assured of a second straight losing season under seventh-year coach Mike Smith.
Throw in the fact that it’s hard to see these Bad News Birds suddenly sprouting eagles’ wings and soaring into the playoffs in 2015 and you wonder more and more how anything but a Super Bowl berth from this year’s model can save Smith’s job.
There’s also the fan support itself, which was so slight on Sunday that it appeared as if more than half the Dome was bathed in Steeler Black and Gold, Pittsburgh supporters out-yelling Falcons on every key play.