The Atlanta Falcons fired Dan Quinn as head coach early in the season, while the Dallas Cowboys axed defensive coordinator Mike Nolan at the end of the regular season. It didn’t take long for the former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator to take the same position in Dallas.
Curiously, the Falcons defense that struggled throughout Quinn’s tenure as head coach considerably improved after his firing. Atlanta finished 14th in DVOA and 20th in EPA/play, way up from when they were in the 30s in both categories at the time he was canned in Week 5.