Falcons coach Arthur Smith blew up after a late Saints TD and no one felt bad for him
Arthur Smith is no doubt headed for a Black Monday exit and it seems like he knows it too.
On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons capped off their disappointing 7-10 season with a blowout 48-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Given how weak the NFC South was this season, the Falcons had a chance at a playoff spot, but went 1-4 in their last five games of the season, playing some truly pathetic football along the way.
With how poor the Falcons played down the stretch, it won’t be a surprise to see Smith fired now that Atlanta’s season is over. And, to cap it all off, this might be how Falcons fans remember Smith’s tenure in Atlanta.
After the Falcons dropped their Week 18 game to the Saints, Smith was irate at New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen during postgame handshakes. Here’s how the interaction went down.
Arthur Smith and Dennis Allen have a postgame chat pic.twitter.com/s469d2OcWq
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) January 7, 2024
Why was Smith so upset? Because the Saints — up 41-17 at this point — faked the victory formation so Jamaal Williams could score one final touchdown to ice the game with a minute and 13 seconds left.
The Saints set up in victory formation in what looked like it would be a kneel down and then handed it off to Jamaal Williams for a TD. pic.twitter.com/Spz8oKCkji
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 7, 2024
It’s a bit understandable that Smith would be heated at a trick play to run up the score, but at the same time … is there really a difference between losing 41-17 and 48-17? A loss is a loss, and both scores are clear blowouts regardless. This is the NFL, teams have no reason to let up against an opponent, especially a divisional one.
To Allen’s credit, he did apologize to Smith and the Falcons after the game. Weirdly though, Allen also threw his own Saints players under the bus, stating that they wanted to get Williams a touchdown and ran the play anyway despite a kneel down being called.
Saints coach Dennis Allen: I’m gonna start by apologizing to Arthur Smith and the Falcons.
Said they should’ve taken a knee. But guys wanted to get Jamaal Williams a TD and that’s “unacceptable.”
“That’s not who we are, not what we’re about.”
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) January 7, 2024
Dennis Allen said they asked him if Jamaal Williams could get a TD. He said no, he wanted to take a knee. He said the players ran that play anyway. He said Arthur Smith was right to be upset.
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) January 7, 2024
Talk about taking away all the good will you earned with your fans in one fell swoop. Either way, though, what a story to go out on if you’re the Falcons and Saints.
Meanwhile, NFL fans couldn’t find it in their hearts to feel bad for Smith’s tantrum to end his time in Atlanta.