The Atlanta Falcons have struggled this season, and head coach Arthur Smith has taken the brunt of the blame, so is his dismissal at the end of the season a foregone conclusion?
Smith was a sought-after head coaching candidate after a successful stint as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator during a time when the offense was thriving thanks to his playcalling and the dominance of running back Derrick Henry.
Smith, on the other hand, has struggled since joining the Falcons last season. While some may point to the team’s lack of a star quarterback, Atlanta entered this season with one of the most talented rosters in the NFC South, but it fell to third place in the division as the season came to a close.
Smith bears a large portion of the blame for failing to maximize the talents of some of his star players, including rookie running back and third-year tight end Kyle Pitts.
Given that the Falcons have lost their last three games by a score, minor adjustments could have made a significant difference in keeping the team atop the NFC South, as it was after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, but Smith has failed to make those game-winning plays.
Atlanta currently has no opponents on its schedule who are ranked higher than 500 this season. With the Falcons currently one game behind the New Orleans Saints (5-5), if Smith cannot win the division, his tenure as head coach will likely end after only three seasons.
You are a bad team if you can’t beat the mediocre teams.
Smith must return from his bye week with some winning play calls in order to reclaim the division, Atlanta fans, and Falcons ownership that he is the man he appeared to be in Tennessee.
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