It kind of feels like the Falcons are at an early crossroads as to what their season might yet become. Following the digging of an 0-2 hole behind the theatrics of a Cooper Rush-led offense, Atlanta bounced back emphatically with back-to-back primetime blowout victories before dropping the ball and blowing a fourth quarter lead in a very winnable game against a Lamar Jackson-less Ravens team.
Sitting at 2-3, the Falcons welcome a Chicago Bears team that on paper looks like a true NFC contender but in reality is more than just a little bit banged up. As of this writing, we still are unsure if quarterback Caleb Williams will make his return from a hamstring injury.
Now in their “difficult stretch” of the season, the chance to steal a game or two as a traditional underdog feels like it could be the difference between actually competing for the division and another season falling by the wayside.
Here is the scenario the Falcons face if they beat the Chicago Bears in Week 6, as well as if they lose.
If the Falcons win
They will get the season back on track and pull themselves back to .500, which is likely what many fans would have signed up for at this point in the campaign before it started. Fans certainly would have taken it following the 0-2 start.
Looking at the early division race, Atlanta would have a chance at claiming sole possession of first place with a Panthers defeat in Philadelphia against a reeling Eagles squad. The Saints and Buccaneers could also be left by the wayside with their own defeats as well.
The aforementioned schedule at the top of this article will continue to get more and more difficult with games against the 49ers, Bengals and Chiefs along with a road divisional clash in Tampa coming before the bye week. Even in a weak NFC South it kind of feels like the Birds need to have at least four wins minimum by that bye week to have a chance. This game against a banged-up Bears represents one of their best opportunities at getting one of those wins and keeping themselves on track.
Speaking of games against the Bears, Atlanta would pull within one game of the all time head to head record in this series with a win (they are currently historically 14-16).
If the Falcons lose
Then they will have completely fumbled a golden opportunity to secure wins against two shorthanded teams back to back. Losing that game against Baltimore may come back to bite them later on; losing to the Bears in addition to it would all but guarantee deep regret at a later point in the season.
Carolina could widen the gap of their currently slender division lead to 1.5 games with a victory, and either the Saints or Bucs could pull to within a tie for second place.
Sitting at 2-4 with the (as of this writing) undefeated San Francisco 49ers coming to town is a very tough position the Falcons will have put themselves in. The game against Tampa the week after the next feels like it will be a must-win, and they’ll need to find another victory somewhere else down the line that they’re currently not expected to achieve to make up for this slow start.