Dan Quinn’s Coach of the Year resumé now has an ugly coffee stain on it.
Losing 17-16 to a Blaine Gabbert-led 49ers team that was without both of its starting cornerbacks and a backup cornerback was bad enough.
But with three minutes left in Sunday’s game, Quinn made a highly questionable coaching decision that could come back to haunt him when the Falcons are jockeying for a playoff spot later in the season.
Down 17-13, Quinn decided to go for a field goal on fourth-and-goal from just inside the 2-yard line. Matt Bryant kicked the 19-yarder to make it 17-16, but the Falcons didn’t get the ball back. The 49ers got two first downs and ran out the clock.
Wasn’t there some story recently about how Dan Quinn spends time every week with his staff working on game management? Link, please?
— Joe Fortenbaugh (@JoeFortenbaugh) November 8, 2015
FOX announcers Chris Myers and Ronde Barber didn’t question Quinn’s move. But rather than trust the defense to get the ball back, why not put it in the hands of the back who entered the game as the NFL’s leading rusher?
Devonta Freeman was having his worst game of the season with 12 yards on 12 carries, but he’s accustomed to goal-line work. Of his nine rushing touchdowns this season, two have come from two yards out and another from three yards out. Add in Julio Jones as an option, and the Falcons had a realistic chance to take the lead.
Those two studs are a major reason the Falcons offense is generating more than 400 yards per game, but instead of giving that offense a shot at a go-ahead touchdown Quinn kicked the can down the sidewalk and thought the job could be done later. But there wasn’t enough time.
Even if the Falcons fell short on fourth down, the 49ers would have been backed up in their own end. The Falcons still would have needed to get the ball back and score a touchdown, but at least they would have had field position on their side.
#Falcons are in playoff form
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) November 9, 2015
Now the Falcons have lost two straight to teams with a combined record of 6-11 and have fallen two and a half games behind the Panthers (8-0) in the NFC South. They’re still in good shape to make the playoffs as a wild card. They currently occupy the No. 6 seed and their closest pursuers (Rams, Seahawks and Eagles) all are 4-4.
But the Falcons are heading in the wrong direction.