Atlanta Falcons talk: What will make this season a success?

Every time I ask this question, the answers vary. That’s likely because our expectations for the Atlanta Falcons wildly fluctuate, as well, even if they’re much higher than they used to be.

That question is a simple one, but also a charged one. It is this: What would make this season a success in your eyes?

For many, the answer is nothing less than a Super Bowl win. For these fans, who have high standards and are doomed to be unhappy much of the time because of the nobility and rigidity of those standards, the Falcons will not be a success until they hoist the Lombardi Trophy. That means this season, like every one before it, is unlikely to be a truly successful ones.

For others, a deep playoff run might suffice. This team has struggled through a lot of poor play and mistakes this year, plus the expectations that came after last year’s Super Bowl, and perhaps 10-6 and an NFC Conference Championship berth is good enough. The expectations can be raised again in 2018, when the Falcons have Sark in his second year and a third-place schedule.

For still others, maybe this season is already a success, even if the Falcons lose to the Rams. After all, few expected Atlanta to even be here after they crashed and burned versus the AFC East, and so a playoff berth is enough to chase away the ghosts and shadows for a short time. Those folks can go into Saturday a bit more relaxed than the rest of us, which is a plus.

So let’s hear where you stand. What makes this season a success? Is it successful already?