Falcons Eyeing Another Winning Season But Want More

ATLANTA – Nine wins used to be a big deal for the Atlanta Falcons. Not anymore.

The Falcons (8-5) are on the verge of their fourth straight winning season heading into Thursday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9).

But Atlanta has much bigger goals in mind, making it clear that anything less than a Super Bowl will be considered a disappointment. That’s a far cry from the way it used to be for the Falcons.

This was a team that went through its first four decades without so much as back-to-back winning records. The goals have changed dramatically since GM Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith took over in 2008.

Jacksonville is out of the playoffs but coming off its best game of the season, a 41-14 rout of Tampa Bay.