‘Fair Criticism!’ Atlanta Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Addresses ‘Conservative’ Play Calling in Loss to Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers, who had only won one game before, defeated the Atlanta Falcons 9–7 in Charlotte on Sunday due to yet another subpar offensive effort.

Desmond Ridder, the quarterback for the Falcons, completed 12 of 20 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown, and one interception during the defeat. Atlanta managed just 52 yards in the rushing department, with 11 of those yards coming from running back Bijan Robinson. The defense wasn’t much better either.

Some stuff he has to clean up': Falcons' Arthur Smith gets real about Desmond Ridder after embarrassing loss to Jets

Head coach Arthur Smith was questioned after the game about whether he thought his play calling was too conservative that day. Although he didn’t entirely accept the blame, he did absorb some of the heat with his response.

“Certainly that’s a fair — I mean, when you only score seven points, trying to play the wind and a lot going on down there,” Smith stated. “The ball burst, twice hitting the ground due to the wind and rain. We were attempting to refute a few concerns with the protection. Thus, that is undoubtedly a valid critique.

The weather is one thing, but going forward, the Falcons won’t be able to use that as an excuse if they want to make the playoffs.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith

In relation to that, Atlanta’s chances of making it through the NFC playoffs were further diminished by their defeat in the previous week. With three positions behind the cutoff point, the Falcons would be in 10th place in the postseason standings if the season ended today. They are now 6-8 overall.

The weather is one thing, but going forward, the Falcons won’t be able to use that as an excuse if they want to make the playoffs.

In relation to that, Atlanta’s chances of making it through the NFC playoffs were further diminished by their defeat in the previous week. With three positions behind the cutoff point, the Falcons would be in 10th place in the postseason standings if the season ended today. They are now 6-8 overall.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*