Atlanta Falcons Should Benefit From Their Mini Bye

The Atlanta Falcons are coming off their first loss of the 2015 Regular Season to arch rival New Orleans, 31-21 on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. Having 10 days between Week 6 and Week 7’s road date with the Tennessee Titans should only help the Atlanta Falcons.

Anybody in the NFL can beat anybody on any given Sunday, or Monday, or Thursday. The Atlanta Falcons suffered their first loss of 2015 to their biggest nemesis on Thursday in the New Orleans Saints. Since Thursday Night Football games are almost entirely divisional games, anything can happen in these rivalry games given the quick turnaround and the familiarity between opponents.

The only criticism I have of TNF is that they heavily favor the home team since the visitor only has maybe two days to get work and treatment in before flying to their rival’s place. Regardless, it seems a bit absurd given the nature of the Atlanta Falcons’ rivalry with the New Orleans Saints for the Dirty Birds to win three games in a row over their bitterest NFC South foe.

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Call me crazy if you want, but I’m thankful to have that likely road loss in New Orleans already out of the way, with a three-game lead in the division over the Saints entering the Falcons’ Week 7 date with the Tennessee Titans. TNF was essentially a must-win game for the 2015 New Orleans Saints. That organization could not afford to start the year out 1-5.

I think that having extended time to prepare for QB Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans gives the Atlanta Falcons the significant advantage in Week 7’s road date in Nashville. The Miami Dolphins began the Dan Campbell Era with a road beatdown of Tennessee, crushing the Titans 38-10 in Nissan Stadium.

Since eviscerating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, 42-14, the Titans have lost their last four games. The Titans have already had their bye in Week 4 and have dropped two heart breakers this season: Week 3 vs. Indianapolis, 35-33 and Week 5 vs. Buffalo, 14-13.

To lose like the Titans did to the Dolphins should raise some eyebrows to this organization that many thought would contend with the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South this year. I realized that Tennessee is starting a rookie QB, but I didn’t foresee the Titans starting out the year at 1-4. Their loss to the Dolphins might stand as the worst loss experienced by any team in the first six weeks of 2015.

By the time the Titans were picking themselves off their own turf on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons were probably already mentally preparing for their road trip to the Music City on Sunday. Oddly enough, the Atlanta Falcons are one of only a few teams in the NFL that have played against Marcus Mariota and the Titans this season. Atlanta beat Tennessee in the first preseason game this season at home.

The 5-0 start and the short week in Week 6 didn’t help the Atlanta Falcons stay undefeated. In the NFL, nobody goes undefeated. I know that HC Dan Quinn is using his first experience of defeat as leader of the Atlanta Falcons to rally the troops and have a bounce back performance against Tennessee on Sunday.

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