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Tabeek: Falcons need to roll the dice, now

For the second week in a row the Falcons squander a big lead and it’s clear something needs to change in Atlanta

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Call it 0-3.

Call it unlucky.

Call it snake-bitten.

Call it whatever you want, it is time to roll the dice.

And it has to happen now with 13 games left to play.

Maybe the Falcons need to look at starting different players and playing others less.

Maybe they need to shift responsibilities within the coaching staff, like Dan Quinn did with his assistants in 2019.

Maybe they need to make a trade.

Maybe they need to prepare differently during the week.

Maybe they need to change whatever they're doing at halftime.

I honestly don't know if you can pinpoint one change. They looked great for three quarters today, then nothing worked. Similar to last week. How do you explain that?

But I do think it's clear they need to find something to change the topic. Something to help reset the focus.

That status quo isn't working right now.

The loss to the Cowboys was a punch to the gut. This one needs to be a call to action.

It's not like the Falcons are devoid of talent. There are some really good players on this team. Matt Ryan, for example, is having another solid season while Calvin Ridley is in the midst of a breakout season.

And I think that's what makes these last two losses so tough to swallow. That, and the fact that Atlanta (0-3) was in position to beat both the Cowboys and the Bears.

So here we are at 0-3 and next up is a trip to Lambeau Field to play the unbeaten Green Bay Packers on "Monday Night Football." Not an easy assignment for any team, let alone one that has a knack for finding ways to lose games.

The Falcons players and coaches said all of the things you'd expect to hear following the loss to Chicago.

But these last two weeks just don't happen in this league. There's something deeper going on.

The Falcons need a shift, and it needs to be big enough to make everyone involved feel that it can change the dynamic.

Dan Quinn put his ego aside last year and made some tough decisions following a 1-7 start and it turned the Falcons season around as they finished 6-2.

"Two disappointing endings over the last two weeks," Quinn said. "I told you earlier that we've got to find our ways to finish. We'll hit the road a week from tomorrow and make sure that result has to be different at the end of the game."

But that decision came too late into the season. We're only three weeks into this season, but it feels like it's slipping away.

If the Falcons are going to salvage the 2020 season, another bold decision – or decisions – need to be made. I don't know what the change is, but it's time to roll the dice.

Time is running out.

Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears with top photos from inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 3.

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