Falcons vs. Texans: where do the Falcons stand as they get ready for Week 5?

The Falcons and the Texans are two franchises headed in different directions. At 1-3, the Falcons are in a downward spiral and head coach Dan Quinn may not be the head coach much longer. In short, everything is in flux and it’s an awfully depressing time to be a fan of this team.

So with that said, let’s take a quick look at the state of the franchise as the Week 5 game against the Texans looms large.

Injuries

Things are looking a little bleaker for the Falcons on the injury front these days. Dave dished out some sobering injury news Friday afternoon.

Offensive line depth was once a strength but it’s quickly becoming a weaknesses. Jamon Brown has been ruled out of tomorrow’s game as he continues to recover from a concussion he suffered last weekend during the loss to the Titans. Wes Schweitzer will fill in at right guard, and in his defense, he’s played pretty well as a back up this season. But with Schweitzer sandwiched between a less-than-healthy Alex Mack and rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary, anxiety is undoubtedly the name of the game.

Matt Bosher has also been ruled out, which is equal parts disappointing and unsurprising. The Falcons recently cut Matt Wile but re-signed him today ahead of tomorrow’s game.

Kenjon Barner is still not healthy and will miss another game. In his absence, Kendall Sheffield will likely field kick offs and Mohamed Sanu will field punts.

In the defensive backfield, Damontae Kazee (illness) will play but Blidi Wreh-Wilson will miss the game as he continues his recovery from the groin injury he suffered last weekend.

Standings

The Falcons are currently in last place in the NFC South. At 1-3, they’re looking up at most of the NFC with exceptionally slim playoff chances. Meanwhile the Saints and the Panthers have both managed to stay relevant, notwithstanding injuries to their franchise quarterbacks. At 3-1, the Saints are currently atop the NFC South. The Panthers and the Buccaneers trail closely at 2-2.

The path to playoff relevance is littered with obstacles at this point. The Falcons need to rattle off consecutive wins and hope their NFC foes start to falter, because we’re deep into lost season territory. Am I confident they can pull off some kind of dramatic turnaround? Not particularly. But it’s still theoretically possible for the time being, for what that’s worth.

Your thoughts, Falcoholics?