Ahead of game vs. Vikings, Falcons fire coach, GM

Dan Quinn, who guided Atlanta to the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history but infamously squandered a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots, was fired Sunday night in his sixth season as the Falcons coach.

The Falcons have also fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

The moves came hours after the Falcons started 0-5 for the first time since 1997, which included becoming the first team in NFL history to squander fourth-quarter leads of at least 15 points in back-to-back games. The decisive loss for Quinn was 23-16 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.