Being a Falcons fan these last several seasons has been a roller coaster, and not the fun kind. We never walk into a year with much confidence, even though each season represents an opportunity that this might finally be the year in which things take a positive to turn. The new regime — headlined by a franchise legend in Matt Ryan — added to that optimism.

And to be fair, most Falcons fans knew this wasn’t a real contender coming in. Atlanta went 8-9 a year ago, sat in a rough spot with the cap, spent little in free agency, and didn’t even own a first-round pick.

But it never takes much to pull Falcons fans back into the trap, and that trap is hope. Back-to-back 21-point primetime wins after Michael Penix Jr.’s return had everyone — including a good chunk of the national media — talking about this team differently. The offense averaged 40 points in Penix’s first two starts. Bijan Robinson looked like an MVP candidate, Drake London was shredding secondaries, and the defense was getting after people in a way Atlanta hasn’t managed in years while holding up against the run.

For two weeks, the Falcons looked like a team that could play with anybody. The losses to the Ravens and Bears were a cold reminder that, deep down, this group isn’t all that different from the ones we suffered through under Arthur Smith and Raheem Morris.

Baltimore physically dominated them — gouging the Falcons defense for 200-plus yards on the ground, something that simply hadn’t happened yet this season. And still, Atlanta had every chance to close it out for a third straight win. Instead, they let a backup quarterback carve them up on the final drive and into overtime.

That one was tough to swallow. Sunday’s loss to the Bears just confirmed what most of us suspected before the season: this team still has a long way to go. Caleb Williams looked like Joe Montana in his first game back from a hamstring injury, going 30-of-36 for 305 yards and a touchdown.

But Williams wasn’t the one who doomed Atlanta. The Falcons turned the ball over twice on special teams — the exact area that sabotaged them a year ago — both on the rookie Zachariah Branch, handing Chicago two short fields that turned into 10 points. In an eight-point loss, that was the game.

Through three quarters, positives were almost impossible to find. The Bears’ passing attack torched the secondary, the offense couldn’t stay on the field, and the return game was a disaster. The result was a 31-7 Chicago lead in a game where the Falcons looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.

Credit where it’s due, though: they fought to the final whistle. A 91-yard touchdown drive capped by a two-point conversion cut it to 16. Atlanta then forced a turnover of its own, a fumble that led to another eight points and made it a one-score game with about six minutes to play. The defense even forced a three-and-out to give the offense a chance to tie it.

But a sack-fumble on the final drive ended any hope, dropping the Falcons to 2-4 — a game and a half behind the Panthers in the NFC South, who already own the early tiebreaker over Atlanta.

With the undefeated 49ers coming to town next, that’s not where you want to be heading into the season’s midpoint. The hope around this team is down to a sliver. But if the last month taught us anything, it’s that momentum in this league flips in an instant. This is where we learn about Kevin Stefanski and this staff — because there’s no good reason this team can’t at least push the Panthers for the NFC South.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire