The Texans could end Dan Quinn’s Falcons career Sunday

Dan Quinn’s staring at long odds to keep his job next season. You can ignore how the team looks unprepared, unmotivated, sloppy, lifeless, and dull. Ultimately, the team’s record is what it is regardless of what empty motivational mantra the team is spouting that week. The Falcons are 1-3.

Quinn’s only real chance at saving his job is to make the playoffs. The Falcons have a playoff percentage of only 11%, with that already small number guaranteed to sink if he can’t pull out a win against the Houston Texans on the road.

Before the start of the season, this may have looked like a possible win. Now a win seems unattainable. The team hopes to slow down an electric Texans offense. The problem, of course, is significant defensive issues from coaching to player development. The Falcons typically have a terrible defense, but not a predictable, conservative offense that shockingly forgets about players like Calvin Ridley.

The Texans, led by former Falcons ballboy Deshaun Watson, can deliver the final blow to Quinn’s head coaching career. There’s no battling back from 1-4, especially with the upcoming schedule. It will be like last year’s Cleveland Brown’s matchup: The Falcons weren’t technically out of the playoff race if they lost, but if you can’t beat the Browns, you aren’t making the playoffs. The Falcons won’t be making the playoffs if they drop to 1-4.

If the Texans unofficially end Quinn’s time as head coach, the only question is when the lame-duck coach would officially become a free agent. Does Arthur Blank hand the team over to Dirk Koetter at the bye week? He most certainly hasn’t earned the right. Raheem Morris theoretically knows both sides of the ball and had some head coaching experience.

With the lack of good options, Quinn may be forced to trot through Week 17 until ultimately getting his walking papers. Either way, that decision is almost certainly made as soon as the Falcons lose to the Texans.