The Falcons enter the last week of the season with a chance to make the playoffs, but they don’t control their own destiny.
A win over the Saints in New Orleans would not be enough to end Atlanta’s postseason wait; the club also requires an unlikely Panthers upset of the Buccaneers. That would make the Falcons the NFC South champions, and Atlanta would host a playoff game for the first time since 2016.
In the same breath, if they lose to the Saints in New Orleans and the Jets beat the Patriots, Terry Fontenot’s front office will be preparing for a third straight draft cycle with the 8th overall pick.
It’s the ideal way to cap up the Falcons’ season – polar opposites. The team appears to be adequately run one week then should be dismantled and sold for parts the next.
For example, last Sunday in Chicago, the Falcons appeared uninterested in even being on Soldier Field and were thrashed by a bad Bears team. The week before, Arthur Smith’s club had their finest game of the season against the Colts.
Interestingly, the Falcons’ owner spoke with the team prior to the team’s final home game of the season. According to Calais Campbell, Arthur Blank offered a simple message: “… You do better when you play loose and just have fun.”
I wouldn’t put too much stock in Blank speaking with the players at this point in the season. It’s hardly an indictment of Arthur Smith’s locker-room dominance or anything else.
I find it amusing that the one instance we know of Blank speaking to the team before a game is somehow the season’s greatest performance. It could just be a coincidence, but it’s worth noting.
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