CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Can we stop it, already?
If you happened to be one of those fans hoping to see the Falcons throw in the towel and play a bunch of backups to solidify a better spot in the coming NFL Draft, you were, well, probably disappointed Sunday.
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The Falcons won, 24-10, improved to 6-9 on the year and … dropped a handful of spots in the draft order. And get this – cover your eyes, towel throwers – they were happy about it, too.
This game was obviously important to them. To the players, the coaches. Everyone wearing red and black.
Don’t just look at who played, but how they played.
Julio Jones, who entered the game dealing with multiple injuries (rib and hip) and was a game-time decision, played – and caught a touchdown pass.
Matt Ryan, the Falcons’ $150 million quarterback, played, too. He passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns and, oh by the way, moved ahead of Warren Moon for 13th-most touchdown passes in NFL history.
And all of the usual starters – on both sides of the ball – played, too. Heck, the defense forced a season-high four turnovers.
Coach Dan Quinn was asked multiple times during the week leading up to the game if, you know, the Falcons would (ahem) evaluate some of the younger and inexperienced players over the final two games.
And each time the Falcons head coach said no.
“I wouldn’t and the reason why I wouldn’t is because, at the core of it, the players want to battle and play for it,” Quinn said. “At the very front of it, they deserve our very best for everything they do.”
And while it didn’t always look pretty against the Panthers, that’s exactly what the Falcons did.
There were no mass substitutions, not even when the Falcons went up by two scores in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Matt Schaub didn’t play a single snap, either.
Look, I get what many Falcons fans are thinking right now.
Play the young guys. See what unproven players can do. Yeah, we saw you and your 115 rushing yards today, Brian Hill.
Don’t risk getting stars like Ryan and Jones hurt. The Falcons are out of the playoff race, after all.
I get it, but it ain’t happening.
The Falcons made that crystal-clear Sunday, against a Panthers team desperate to end its then-six-game losing streak.
So take those towels and cover your mouths the next time you want to talk about tanking.
And brace yourselves for a possible 7-9 finish.
PHOTOS: Falcons at Panthers 2018
The Falcons face the Carolina Panthers this Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Get your inside look here.
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
CB Ryan Neal
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
RB Ricky Ortiz
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
P Matt Bosher
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
P Matt Bosher
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
P Matt Bosher
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Steven Means, P Matt Bosher, CB Desmond Trufant
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
RB Tevin Coleman
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
TE Logan Paulsen
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
QB Matt Ryan, RB Tevin Coleman
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Brooks Reed
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DE Brooks Reed
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
RB Tevin Coleman
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
CB Desmond Trufant
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DE Takk McKinley
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
Dan Quinn, head coach, LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
S Sharrod Neasman
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DL Jack Crawford
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Takk McKinley
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DL Jack Crawford
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DL Jack Crawford, DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
RB Tevin Coleman
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
WR Calvin Ridley
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
WR Mohamed Sanu
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
WR Mohamed Sanu, WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
WR Mohamed Sanu, QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Takk McKinley
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Takk McKinley
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
C Alex Mack
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
Dan Quinn, head coach
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
CB Brian Poole, CB Desmond Trufant, LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
C Alex Mack
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
RB Brian Hill
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
LB Deion Jones, CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
LB Deion Jones, CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Bruce Irvin
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DE Bruce Irvin
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DE Bruce Irvin
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DE Bruce Irvin
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
DE Bruce Irvin
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
WR Mohamed Sanu, RB Brian Hill
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
LB Foye Oluokun, DT Grady Jarrett, CB Isaiah Oliver
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
Marquand Manuel, defensive coordinator
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
CB Isaiah Oliver, CB Robert Alford
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
S Damontae Kazee, S Sharrod Neasman
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
CB Desmond Trufant
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DE Brooks Reed
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DE Steven Means, DL Jack Crawford, S Sharrod Neasman
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
WR Mohamed Sanu
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
RB Brian Hill
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
DE Steven Means
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
OLB Vic Beasley Jr.
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
S Kemal Ishmael
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
RB Brian Hill
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
P Matt Bosher
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
CB Isaiah Oliver
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
S Damontae Kazee
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
RB Brian Hill
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
TE Austin Hooper
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DE Takk McKinley
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
S Sharrod Neasman
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DL Jack Crawford
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
RB Brian Hill
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
K Matt Bryant
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DE Steven Means
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
K Matt Bryant
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DE Takk McKinley
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
P Matt Bosher
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
OLB Vic Beasley Jr., CB Desmond Trufant
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Kara Durrette
TE Austin Hooper
Atlanta Falcons / Lynn Bass
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
QB Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
WR Julio Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
DT Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons / Michael Benford
CB Brian Poole
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
DL Jack Crawford
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
LB De'Vondre Campbell
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
QB Matt Ryan, WR Mohamed Sanu
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
WR Mohamed Sanu
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
Jeff Ulbrich, linebackers coach, LB Deion Jones
Atlanta Falcons / Carmen Mandato
