Report: Falcons fire Dan Quinn after defeat to the Panthers

The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly fired head coach Dan Quinn following their defeat to the Carolina Panthers in Week 5.

It appears that the Carolina Panthers have ended the tenure of another head coach in Atlanta. According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, the Falcons are finalizing details to remove Dan Quinn from the position of head coach, which could happen as soon as Monday.

This comes on the back of a 23-16 defeat to the Panthers, who now find themselves at 3-2 after rolling to their third consecutive triumph. The writing has been on the wall for Quinn. But the manner of their reverse all-but sealed his fate.

Quinn’s imminent departure is the third time that Falcons owner Arthur Blank has parted ways with a head coach after taking a loss to the Panthers. While this means nothing in the grand scheme of things, this particular scenario is a further indication of just how different each team’s fortunes are through five weeks of the season.

Atlanta is 0-5 and seemingly out of ideas. A change in leadership might bring around a small turnaround in fortunes. But it is unlikely to do anything for their ambitions in 2020.

The Carolina Panthers are heading in the right direction.

As for the Panthers, they are riding on the crest of a wave with a young and ambitious roster that is only going to get better with more experience under their belt.

And what a difference having a progressive head coach makes.

Matt Rhule has overcome some serious adversity this offseason due to COVID-19 restrictions. This left expectations at an all-time low for the franchise and even had some speculating they might be in a position to draft Clemson’s exceptional quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick.

All that talk now seems like a distant memory.

The trepidation surrounding large sections of Carolina’s fanbase before competitive action got underway has been replaced with excitement. This is a team that is clearly heading in the right direction. Which is something that cannot be said for the Falcons under Quinn.

Their long-suffering supporters now have their wish. The Panthers put the final nail in Quinn’s coffin with a resolute display that might end up being the best thing that will happen in Atlanta this season.

They have never been the same since their Super Bowl capitulation to the New England Patriots. But it remains to be seen whether the Falcons are going to be any better when they clash again with the Panthers in a couple of weeks.