Falcons' Victory Great, But It Doesn't Reach Historical Proportions

The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a final score of 56-14 on Thursday night in Atlanta.  Now it's just a guess, but the victory by the Dirty Birds could end up being one of the big blowouts, perhaps the big blowout, of the 2014 season.  But the Falcons still have some work to do if they really want to put a dent in the record books.  

-Two of the five biggest NFL blowouts from 1940 to now have happened in the last six seasons, with New England annihilating Tennessee 59-0 in 2009 and Seattle crushing Arizona 58-0 in 2012.  Hey, both of those games are shutouts! C'mon Atlanta!  You gave up two whole touchdowns!  You can do better.

-Only two NFL playoff games from 1940 forward have been decided by 50 points or more.  One is a blowout of Washington by the Chicago Bears and will be discussed further in a moment.  The other saw Jacksonville defeat Miami 62-7 on January 15, 2000. We're pulling for you Atlanta!  Make those playoffs and win a game by 50....  Or more!

-The biggest NFL blowout since 1940 was a 73-0 victory by the Chicago Bears over the Washington Redskins on December 8, 1940.  That's the same NFL game that is one of two NFL playoff games after 1940 decided by 50 or more.  Fifty-six points?  That's it Atlanta? You can hit 60. At least.

Keep practicing Matt Ryan and Devin Hester.  Perhaps your team will someday be owners of an all-time NFL blowout.

**Note-Even though this post is meant to be a joke, the facts are all accurate to the best of my knowledge.  And they came from pro-football-reference's Play Index, except for the score and location of last night's game.