Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Atlanta Falcons: Keep Your Enemies Close – 5 Questions with Blogging Dirty

Nov 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, center, greets wide receiver

(11) and guard

(67) after an offensive series in the first quarter of their game against the Indianapolis Colts at the Georgia Dome. The Colts won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off an absolute beatdown of the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars have to feel good and they still have a little bit of hope as well. It’ll take some help, but the Jaguars could still win the AFC South if they win their remaining 3 games.

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They need to beat the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday to begin a winning streak, and that doesn’t seem like too difficult a proposition. After a 5-0 start, the Falcons have unraveled on both sides of the ball en route to a a 6-7 record. The defense has started to play to the level of their talent (which is pretty low) and

has struggled in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s scheme.

We wanted to get some intel on our opponent so we reached out to Freddie Boston over at Blogging Dirty. Here’s what he had to say:

1. Let’s start with the obvious – what on earth happened to the Falcons after their 5-0 start? How did they fall out of the playoffs so swiftly?

"Well first of all, the team was overachieving at 5-0. They played out a number of close games in that span and relied on some fourth quarter heroics. They played Dallas without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant and Houston with Ryan Mallett. Since then, there have been too many mistakes. Since losing to the Saints in Week 6, Matt Ryan has been turning it over for fun, the running backs can’t seem to keep hold of the ball and the receivers have forgotten how to catch. In losses to the Buccaneers and Colts earlier in the season, the Falcons lost the game due to unforced mistakes. The Falcons looked drained of confidence, and completely defeated when they took the field against the Panthers."

My take:

The Falcons probably hit rock bottom in their blowout loss to the Panthers last week, but it felt like the season was culminating into a game like that. As Freddie mentions, the Falcons were lucky to be 5-0 and are regressing to the mean with their record. The Jaguars and Falcons are a lot closer in talent than most would have thought heading into week 6 of the season.

Next: Quinn no longer with a win