ATLANTA — The Falcons failed to play a clean four quarters of football, and it resulted in a 27-20 loss to the Seattle Seahwaks, Sunday.
Atlanta committed three turnovers, but Devonta Freeman's fumble in the fourth quarter inside Seattle's 10-yard line prevented the Falcons from making it a one-score game.
"Certainly, can't lose the turnover battle zero to three and expect to come out ahead," head coach Dan Quinn said. "Losing that turnover and digging yourself in a hole at the start is a tough way to get started in a game."
The Falcons were playing without quarterback Matt Ryan for the first time since 2009. But Matt Schaub gave the Falcons a legit chance to win the game. Schaub completed 39 of 52 passes for 460 yards and a touchdown.
Julio Jones was Schaub's primary target with 10 catches for 152 yards.
The defense had some bright spots with generating a pass rush. They sacked Russell Wilson twice, but their run defense was uninspiring, allowing Chris Carson to run for 90 yards and a touchdown. The defense gave up 322 total yards of offense.
Arthur Blank address the media
With the Falcons' bye week approaching, there's been talks of owner Arthur Blank making a change to the head coach position. Obviously, a losing record doesn't bode well for Quinn, but Blank hasn't committed to pulling the plug on the fifth-year head coach.
Blank mentioned that he is "extraordinarily disappointed" about the Falcons' season.
"We are going to do something. We're going to continue to think really hard and evaluate everything that we can do as an owner and a senior managing team and figure out if there's anything we can do to make some decisions any earlier or later to help the process," Blank said. "But we have no plans to make any changes right now."
The Falcons' fan base has expressed their displeasure with the team, and it's apparent with the attendance at the games. There were a noticeable number of empty seats during the match against Seattle, and that trend will likely continue if the losing streak resumes after the bye week.
"It's very painful. I understand that," he said. "I'm always going to be here. I'm going to be in my seat, and I hope the great majority of our fans will as well."
The players seem to support Quinn, given Jones made an emotional speech in the locker room following the loss to the Rams last Sunday, but the results on the field is what matters most.
"The players love Dan Quinn, and they're playing hard for him," he said. "The results aren't there, and I understand that - they understand that as well."
Blank hasn't fired a head coach during the season since 2003. So, maybe Quinn is safe until the end of the season.
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