SAD NEWS: NFL insider reports Arthur Blank after loosing 1-12 Panthers and said he is at the verge of loosing his job

Arthur Smith’s job was thought to be safe going into the Falcons’ Week 15 game against the Panthers.

It was noted that the idea precludes a late-season collapse. Smith’s offense managed only seven points against a lifeless, coachless Carolina team that eventually won on a walk-off field goal.

Nobody knew what a “late-season collapse” entailed, but losing to the 1–12 Panthers had to fit the description in some way. It’s the kind of loss that makes heads turn, and speculation about Smith’s job security was rife.

Arthur Blank eventually responded to those questions in an already scheduled interview, expressing his support for Smith and refusing to add to the speculation.

When asked about his head coach’s future, Blank stated, “We’re going to play these last three games; we’re going to play ’em to win ’em.” And we’ll see how the season goes from there. Obviously, this has not been the year we anticipated.”

After a convincing victory over the Colts, that stance did not change. “We still have two games left.” Let’s wait and see what happens. “Like I said last week, we’ll play these last two and then see where we go,” Blank said, according to The Athletic.

Smith’s job may have been saved on Sunday, when the Falcons scored a season-high 29 points and accumulated 406 yards of total offense while Taylor Heinicke did not commit a turnover. This is the type of performance that has been so frustrating this season because the potential is there, and it appears Smith and Terry Fontenot will have the opportunity to realize that potential in 2024.

According to Albert Breer, Arthur Blank is leaning toward another year for Smith and Fontenot.

“The Falcons are an enigma,” writes Breer. “They’ve had success with draft picks.” They’ve targeted free agents. They’ve developed strength along the line of scrimmage and certainly look like a rising young team in many ways. However, the plan to tread water at quarterback has not gone as planned, leading to Taylor Heinicke’s reintroduction into the lineup on Sunday.

And yet, in a strange way, Heinicke’s return demonstrated where the ceiling for this team is, how the group is still ascending, and why Arthur Blank is leaning toward giving Smith and Fontenot another year.”

There are still two games left, and as we’ve seen in the past, these feelings can shift after a bad Sunday. The Falcons have a chance to make the playoffs, but they will need some help. Blank, as I’ve always thought, was unlikely to fire Smith because the quarterback has been the biggest source of the team’s problems.