In lieu of Atlanta Falcons predictions, please send flowers

Normally, we’d be giving you our predictions for Sunday mornings before Falcons game, but I’m fully aware that most of you probably are well beyond that. Instead, you’re getting a short essay.

Wait, don’t go!

Being a football fan is not supposed to be a challenge. It’s not supposed to be an outsized source of stress, or something that has the potential to ruin your entire day. Yet I know that in the days of the 24/7 news cycle and endless ruminations about your favorite team, the Falcons being 4-7 and clocking in as a massive disappointment in a year where they were supposed to be great is a burden on your Sundays. Whether you always thought this team was due for disappointment or knew they were destined for success, you’ve been talking about this team for weeks as they went from 1-4 to 4-4 to 4-7. It’s exhausting.

And frankly, you’ve all got lives to live that go far beyond the Falcons. Atlanta’s sort of an escape on a weekly basis, even for those of us on staff here at The Falcoholic, and when they stink it becomes less so. The Brotherhood sours both inside and outside of the building, the Sundays become a quietly dreaded day, and we look forward either to a win that makes us feel good for a moment but does nothing for this team’s future or a loss that feels terrible in the moment but gets Atlanta closer to landing an elite player. Over the last couple of years, we’ve had the convenience of forgetting all about it.

Not this season. Despite our best guesses based on this team’s talent and previous production, they’ve disappointed and then surprised and then disappointed again. It’s exhausting to follow this team and not know where they’re going to be on a weekly basis, and exhaustion is not really what you’re supposed to feel after watching a football game. Even if Atlanta wins, there’s a sense that the rest of this year is going to be a roller coaster, and we’re all just wanting a bit of a resolution about what this team is and where they’re going.

So give your prediction if you like, but if not, we’re going to hold it against you. You’ve done more than enough by showing up every Sunday, and if this season is dead, at least you’ll have a moment’s peace knowing that you won’t be asking what if. We’ll see you in three hours for the game, either way.