The Atlanta Falcons (7-9) were once again presented with another opportunity to possibly get back into the playoff picture, either snagging one of the three Wild Card spots or possibly back into the NFC South lead. But they once again failed to deliver, much like they have all season, losing to the Chicago Bears (7-9) 37-17.

While their NFC South division rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, were off being upset at home by the New Orleans Saints, a win over the Bears would have positioned the Falcons with a second chance of possibly entering the postseason. Now it is all but over, with head coach Arthur Smith looking like it might be yet another 7-10 season, his third consecutive. The question is, will there even be a chance for a fourth?

While Smith has tried to find stability at the quarterback position in his three seasons with the Falcons, he has yet to accomplish that. Whether it be an aging Matt Ryan, known backups like Marcus Mariota and Taylor Heinicke, or a second-year guy like Desmond Ridder who is likely destined to be a backup or worse, a practice squad quarterback, there has been no easy answer in Atlanta behind center.

That unfortunately reared its ugly head once again in Week 17 against the Bears with Heinicke making his second consecutive start over Ridder. It was yet another day for the Falcons in which they had four giveaways among other missed opportunities, losing to another subpar team.

But there was also an underlying narrative to the game on Sunday that had everything to do with the quarterback on the other side.

Did the Falcons give Justin Fields a job interview?

Justin Fields has long been rumored to be traded out of Chicago, with the Falcons seeming like a good fit. Whether that materializes or not, the Bears did earn the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft today with the Carolina Panthers losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Panthers have the worst record in the league (2-14) but are sending their 2024 first-round pick to Chicago after trading up in last year's draft to pick Bryce Young.

Does that mean the Bears will move off the former Ohio State quarterback? It wasn't saying much, but the way that Fields made plays against the Falcons on Sunday, and has since his return weeks back, has made Bears' fans start chanting his name on Sunday. The Falcons allowed Fields to connect on 20-of-32 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown with another 45 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Falcons defense gives up 21 in the first half

Fields started his day with good work in the first half that helped the Bears take a 21-7 lead into the break. He threw a seven-yard pass to DJ Moore for the first — who had a total of nine receptions for 159 yards — and ran nine yards for the second one, while Roschon Johnson scored on a two-yarder.

For the day, the Falcons defense gave up 432 total yards, allowed 22 first downs, and allowed the Bears to score on four of their five trips in the red zone.

Taylor Heinicke throws three picks, Desmond Ridder throws one

Taylor Heinicke, Desmond Ridder

You knew the blemishes were bound to return if you've watched the Falcons this season, and even after a week where Heinicke was blemish-free, he made up for it in Week 17 versus the Bears.

Heinicke was off all day, missing his receivers badly, only connecting on 10-of-29 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown to his three interceptions. He missed throwing a pick in the first quarter to throw one every quarter. But even in garbage time, with the Falcons down 20 points, Ridder threw four passes, completing all four, except for his last one going to Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson, who had two on the day.

Younghoe Koo field goal troubles persist

On their first two drives of the game, the Falcons amassed 16 plays and 95 yards, yet scored no points. With the snow falling, Koo missed a 50-yarder and a 42-yarder, while the Bears were able to score on their first two possessions, going up 14-0.

Koo was 5-for-5 against the Indianapolis Colts in the Falcons win last weekend, while not attempting one the week prior against the Panthers. But he was only 1-for-3 again facing the Buccaneers the week before.