The Atlanta Falcons are the second team in 2020 to sever ties with their head coach. Shortly thereafter, their general manager met the same fate following the team’s 23-13 loss against the Carolina Panthers. Atlanta came into Week 5 of the season with an 0-4 record, and after losing to Carolina at home the team decided it was time to make changes. Jeff Schultz was the first to announce Dan Quinn’s firing on Sunday afternoon, followed by the news from Adam Schefter that Thomas Dimitroff would also be dismissed.
The Falcons' firing of Dan Quinn has been all but finalized and an announcement could come Monday or Tuesday, a source told @TheAthletic. The Falcons have started 0-5 for the first time since 1997 and Quinn is 14-23 since 2018. @TheAthleticNFL
— Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) October 11, 2020
Falcons also fired GM Thomas Dimitroff.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2020
2015-2019 History
Quinn has been the head coach for the Falcons since 2015 and the team started 5-0 in his first year, but missed the playoffs and went 8-8 for the season, missing the playoffs.
The Falcons improved in the 2016 season and finished with an 11-5 record and and landed a first-round bye in the playoffs. They went on to win the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers and earn a spot in Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots. The Patriots defeated the Falcons in overtime, 34-28.
The following season, the Falcons went 10-6 and advanced to the playoffs again, this time losing in the divisional round to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Atlanta missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015 after the 2018 season, when they finished the season 7-9 and Quinn took over the defensive coordinator position after the firing of Marquand Manuel.
2019 didn’t fare much better for Quinn and his squad. The Falcons started the season 1-7 and finished with a 7-9 record, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row. There was much speculation that Falcons owner Arthur Blank would fire his head coach after the dismal season, but surprisingly, he brought Quinn back for the 2020.
2020 Season
The Falcons lost their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks 38-25, and then blew a sizable lead against the Dallas Cowboys the following week, losing 40-39. The next two weeks saw defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers before the loss against Carolina sealed Quinn’s fate.
Prior to Sunday’s loss against the Panthers, the Falcons led the all-time series 32-18 and had won the last eight of nine games. They had also won five in a row at home in Atlanta.
Can the Falcons turn their season around under new leadership? Time will tell, with the first test being against the Minnesota Vikings next week.
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