There wasn't much upside to the Atlanta Falcons' streaky season of disrepair, minus the strong finish.
And in the end, this might carry the most weight—momentum-wise—heading into the prep work for next year.
On Sunday, the Falcons outlasted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-32, a riveting victory that boosted the club's intra-division record to 4-2.
How did they pull it off?
Matt Bryant's 37-yard field goal at the final gun spoiled the Buccaneers' great effort, highlighted by quarterback Jameis Winston (345 yards passing), wideout Mike Evans (6 catches, 106 yards) and receiver Chris Godwin (6 catches, 114 yards) combining for eight touchdowns.
A 4-2 division record?
Think about that. If someone had told you, back in August, that Atlanta would post a 67-percent winning percentage inside the NFC South (the NFL's strongest division last year), it would have been easy to presume a division crown or wild-card slot.
Instead, the Falcons (7-9) ingloriously wound up in second place, trailing the South champion Saints (13-3) by six games.
As part of the above mediocrity, Atlanta curiously endured four sustainable streaks during the season:
**One loss
**One win
**Three straight losses
**Three consecutive victories
**Five straight losses
**Three season-closing victories
The Falcons had their own big trifecta working in Tampa, with QB Matt Ryan (378 yards passing, 2 TDs), tailback Tevin Coleman (go-ahead touchdown in the final quarter) and Julio Jones (9 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD) inflicting considerable damage.
But in the end, Atlanta merely required the pinpoint accuracy of a 40-something kicker who has missed only five kicks of less than 40 yards over the last four years.
