Falcons vs. Raiders: Atlanta still searching for meaning, purpose headed into Week 12 matchup

Remember when we were fans of a competitive football team? Remember when the Super Bowl seemed like a realistic destination? Remember when Hi-C Ecto Cooler was regularly available for sale in your local grocery store? Those were the days ...

Let’s recap the last 6 weeks of Falcons football. Much like Thanksgiving leftovers eaten during the first week of December, it’s been the root of a fair amount of nausea and has left us feeling less than satisfied. After an 0-5 start, the Falcons parted ways with Dan Quinn. They have gone 3-2 since. At 3-7, the Falcons would have to overcome nearly insurmountable odds to make the playoffs, even if the playoff format is expanded. In short, this has been a “lost season” all along and the end still isn’t in sight.

The sheer volume of shenanigans we’ve been forced to endure this season is incomprehensible. From Takk McKinley’s strange departure to Dirk Koetter’s unhealthy obsession with run plays that are doomed from the start, it certainly hasn’t been easy. And there are still 6 games ahead of us. Fun!

For a while, there was some real chatter about Raheem Morris taking over for Quinn permanently. But that ill-fated idea has lost some steam, and it’s looking like a wholesale regime change lies ahead. I’m not too bothered by that reality, because to be frank, the Falcons can do better than Morris.

On the injury front, the Falcons will be without Todd Gurley and his 3.7 yards/carry. That opens the door for Brian Hill, but Hill hasn’t exactly capitalized on previous opportunities of this sort. As a big fan of Hill’s skill set and a true believer in his ceiling as a player worthy of receiving or splitting RB1 snaps, I’m just hoping Koetter doesn’t ruin it for him, which means he definitely will. Evan Birchfield’s complete injury report is definitely worth a read.

Your thoughts about the state of the franchise, Falcoholics?