The Atlanta Falcons are hoping for a spark. The team is struggling heavily as questions about benching Matt Ryan and firing coordinators begin to circle the team. With four straight losses the Falcons are still somehow in the hunt for the NFC Wild Card spot in the playoffs, but the margin for error is shrinking. The Falcons are hoping getting players back from injuries will be the spark they need as Week 13 could see the return of some familiar faces.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Week 13 should see the return of Devonta Freeman, Devin Hester and Leonard Hankerson which could be a the spark needed to get the Falcons a win as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a key NFC South matchup. According to head coach Dan Quinn, he expects to get the players back healthy as Hester sat with torn ligaments in his toes, Freeman with a concussion and Hankerson with a hamstring injury. The return of all three players would mean the Falcons' offense is fully healthy for the first time all season. Is that what Ryan needs to improve?
Quinn made it very clear that the Falcons were not giving up on Ryan despite the number of turnovers and inconsistencies plaguing the quarterback this season. Everyone from Quinn to owner Arthur Blank stressed their confidence in the veteran as the Falcons try and turn things around quickly.
"It's starts with me,'' Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "I've got to be better in terms of decision-making and knowing when to throw the ball away, cut our losses and kick the field goal. But we've got to really look in the mirror hard Monday and Tuesday before we get onto the practice field Wednesday and see what we can do differently to stop that from happening. For me, it starts with making great decisions, and I didn't do a good job of that.''
Heading into Week 13, Hester could be the spark the special teams need while Freeman will pair with Tevin Coleman who showed flashes of potential before coughing up the ball in a critical situation. Freeman will take over the starting spot, but Quinn still wants Coleman to have a big role with the team. The same can be said for players like Roddy White who will be battling with Hankerson for Ryan's attention. The quarterback needs as many play makers as he can get in order to bounce back from this rough patch.