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Last night I consumed an enormous bag of Sour Patch Kids. Not the small ones, either. The genetically enhanced mega sour candies designed for stress-snacking and no self-respecting human would dare eat in one sitting. Happy Halloween everybody. Don’t be like me and devour all the candy before you hand it out, but do be like me and start your day with Falcoholinks.
Zane Beadles signed as Falcons add to O-Line
With both starting guards done for the season, the Falcons recently added to the offensive line in the form of Rees Odhiambo. They continued that trend on a sleepy trade deadline day, adding former Pro Bowler Zane Beadles. Most recently of the San Francisco 49ers, the veteran is presumably being brought in for depth behind Wes Schweitzer and Ben Garland.
To make room for Beadles, the Falcons waived defensive tackle Michael Bennett.
Welcome, Zane.
Quiet of the trade front
It should come as no surprise, but it will probably anger many nonetheless. There was no wheeling and dealing for Dimitroff yesterday, and Quinn signaled during his Monday presser not to expect anything in the way of trades. There were no trades within the NFC South, either, so a quiet one throughout the division.
The season so far
The Falcons are currently on the upswing on what’s primarily been a down season plagued by injuries. But there are still valuable lessons to be found amid the mind-bending frustration, and our Jeanna Thomas laid out the 7 things we’ve learned about these Atlanta Falcons so far.
A crowded conference and an outside playoff shot
The Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints (as much as it pains me to say it) are the class of the NFC, and a deep playoff run for the Falcons would likely run through one of those two cities. The Falcons sit as the 10th seed in the playoff picture, so in order to have an outside shot at a Wild Card berth they’d need to continue their winning ways and hope for some help along the way.
The silver lining is that Atlanta has games left against teams currently ahead of them in the seeding, so if they can take care of their own business they certainly have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs. That path starts Sunday in D.C. against the Washington Redskins.
Deion Jones potentially back against Dallas
For a team that didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, its most biggest roster move could come from within. Deion Jones is still recovering from surgery on his foot, but is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys. If fully healthy, it’s impossible to overstate what his return would mean for Atlanta’s defense, and for Atlanta’s playoff aspirations.