Falcons' Inability to Get Over .500 a 'Convenient Narrative', Says Arthur Smith
Since the start of 2018, the Atlanta Falcons have had 13 opportunities to get over the hump and claim a winning record.
After falling 20-17 to the Los Angeles Chargers on a Cameron Dicker field goal as time expired, the Falcons now hold a record of 0-13 in those games.
It's the monkey that Atlanta seemingly just can't get off its back, a storyline that won't get away until the team finally manages to crack the case.
While the Falcons' new regime headlined by coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot has brought significant change, the ability to crest .500 hasn't been one of them.
Smith's Falcons have gone 0-7 in their opportunities dating back to Week 1 of 2021, including 0-4 this season. Sunday's contest against Los Angeles highlighted how close his team is - but still how far they have to go.
Perhaps nothing illustrates this more than Chargers running back Austin Ekeler's fumble inside the final minute. With Los Angeles one play away from running the clock down and the quarterback knee a realistic option, Ekeler took a handoff for a short gain - and coughed it up.
Falcons defensive tackle Ta'Quon Graham recovered and took it back to midfield - but had the ball slip out of his arms while running. The Chargers regained possession and completed a 22-yard pass the following play, leading to Hopkins' dagger.
It was another heartbreaking loss in a close game, the third time this year the Falcons have fallen by one possession or less with a chance to get over .500.
Nonetheless, Smith isn't a fan of and doesn't believe in the "curse" behind his team's inability to get over the hump.
"I think that's a convenient narrative," Smith said. "A lot of times it's really matchups week-to-week; every game's its own story."
Sunday's game was certainly a story, one with a unique twist but all-too-familiar result: close, but no cigar - with a chance to do something the franchise hasn't done since the 2017 season concluded.
It's now been 74 games since the Falcons held a winning record, and despite getting a plethora of opportunities, have managed to elude the mark.
Ultimately, it's just another game, another matchup and another story, but for a team that's currently in a dogfight for the lead of the NFC South, losing winnable contests hurst - especially when it's the 13th consecutive loss in that situation.
The Falcons are desperately searching to rise above mediocrity, but until the team is able to eclipse the elusive .500 mark, the record is what it is, and it's even worse when a chance to escape it arrives before their eyes.
Atlanta has a chance to get back to .500 on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers, a team it just beat last week. Should the Falcons walk away victorious, it sets up another opportunity to write a new story the week after - but until then, they're stuck with fighting back to the same mark they've been so many times before, and a reputation they're so desperate to shake: average-to-below.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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