It’s easy to write the Atlanta Falcons off already. And quite frankly, nothing about their play is encouraging enough to think they could flip this around and make an improbable playoff run.
But there is a path to the promised land of the NFL playoffs. In fact, this team should hold the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers up as a roadmap. That team started 1-4, ran the table the rest of the way, (the NFL was still playing 14 game seasons) and made it to the conference championship.
But the chances are slim. ESPN’s football power index predicts the Falcons will finish at 6-10, with a 2 percent chance of winning the division and a less than 4 percent chance of making the playoffs.