When Jim Mora Jr. became the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons two years ago, he was heavily praised for the work he was able to do with the team. Just two years later, he is under heavy scrutiny and could very well lose his job after a troubled season. With that said, after everything is all said and done following Week 17, the Falcons could still find themselves with a postseason berth. Unfortunately, if the New York Giants win on Saturday night over the Washington Redskins, the Falcons will be eliminated before they even face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Last month, Falcons owner Arthur Blank stated that the Falcons finishing at 8-8 for a second consecutive season would be unacceptable. As of today, it still seems that Blank would not be pleased with a .500 record. Despite the Falcons having Michael Vick at quarterback, the team has struggled way too often offensively this season, and their holes defensively are glaring. Atlanta has lost six of their past eight games, but Mora remains optimistic about his future.

"I'm proud of this football team," Mora said. "Our football team did some things that are overlooked when you lose a football game. We've won the most games in the NFC South for three years. We've got the fourth-most wins in the NFC over the last three years. We've played in the NFC championship game. We've won the NFC South. We've been in the hunt through 15 weeks last year and we're still in the hunt through the last week this year."

The Falcons have had to deal with injuries to key veterans in Brian Finneran, Patrick Kerney, and John Abraham this season. To be fair though, almost every team in the NFL has to deal with injuries of their own. And, Mora's "joke" regarding the University of Washington job didn't help matters. After Sunday's loss, Vick even raised his eyebrow regarding the coaching staff.

"It's a question that needs to be answered," Vick said. "We're too good to be losing these games. We should be up there among the elite. You can't just come out there and try to wing it," he said, in regards to the offensive scheme.

Mora stated that Vick's comments came as a result of simple frustration following a loss.

"When talking with Mike through the year, I know he's very happy with the offense," Mora said. "He's rushed for over 1,000 yards and thrown a career-high (19) touchdown passes. We were ranked in the top 10 going into that game in total offense, so we've been doing some good things offensively."