Dan Quinn took the blame after the Falcons became the first team to lose two games after they led by at least 15 points in the fourth quarter. Quinn’s players quickly came to his defense.
“We know what he means to us,” Falcons running back Todd Gurley said, via Will McFadden of the team website. “We did not finish for him. We did not finish for each other. We did not finish for the Falcons. We did not finish for the brotherhood. This has nothing to do with him.”
The Falcons blew a 26-10 fourth-quarter lead Sunday as Nick Foles and the Bears scored 20 points to win. A week ago, the Falcons led the Cowboys 29-10 at halftime and 39-24 in the fourth quarter only to lose 40-39 after failing to recover an onside kick.
Quinn now is 43-40 in six seasons, including 14-21 the past three seasons.
“It’s on us,” receiver Calvin Ridley said. “He’s not playing. It’s on us. We’ve got to win games. We’ve got to be better as players and get the win. That’s all it is.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan echoed that sentiment.
“You know, we’ve got his back,” Ryan said. “We’ve got to play better as players, and that’s what you have to focus on.”