Falcons vs. Broncos: Atlanta trudges along ahead of Week 9 matchup

At 2-6, the Falcons have long shot playoff odds. In other words, even if the NFL decides to expand the playoffs to 16 teams, the Falcons aren’t likely to be in the picture. But that said, they can still play spoiler and build toward the future, which all you can really ask for in a lost season.

The Falcons are 2-6 at the midway point. They’re 2-1 since Raheem Morris took over for Dan Quinn, and by most accounts, he’s adopted a hard nosed approach short on cheesy slogans and long on accountability. That revised approach was tested this week when frustrated former first round draft pick Takk McKinley took to Twitter to air some grievances. To his credit, Morris handled the situation about as well as you could expect, speaking from the heart and honestly about Takk’s situation.

On the injury front, the Falcons are in a precarious position. Darqueze Dennard was activated off of IR and will immediately reinforce a secondary in desperate need of reinforcement. Both Takk (groin) and Dante Fowler (hamstring) are out, which means the Falcons pass rush has gone from nonexistent to literally nonexistent. Calvin Ridley is questionable (foot) and didn’t participate in practice Friday. Evan Birchfield’s complete injury report is definitely worth a read, if you have a moment.

Your bought about the state of the franchise, Falcoholics?