The Falcons remain in the hunt for the NFC South title, but those hopes took a big hit in a brutal 9-7 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
Atlanta gained only 204 yards, with Tyler Allgeier getting almost as many snaps as first-round pick Bijan Robinson and seven more touches. The Falcons now have benched Desmond Ridder for a second time this season.
It has coach Arthur Smith on the hot seat.
Owner Arthur Blank addressed Smith’s future Tuesday in an interview with Jeff Hullinger of Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Blank was noncommittal on a fourth season for Smith, who will have to win out to avoid a third consecutive losing season.
“We are committed to coach Smith,” Blank told Hullinger. “We are going to play these last three games. We are committed to win. We will let the season play out and go from there. Obviously, this has not been the kind of year we expected. You would hear that from coach Smith; you would hear it from our fans, and our players. We understand that. We understand the challenges. At the end of the year, we will assess where we are and go from there.”
Hullinger followed by asking if the Falcons had to get to the playoffs to save Smith’s job.
“No, that was never really a requirement,” Blank said. “The requirement was we have more of a competitive team this year. I think through this part of the season, it’s been mixed, quite honestly. That’s what I think, and that’s what the coach would say. Arthur is a very honest, very. . . . He looks at himself very critically, so he comes from a beautiful family that has great values, and he reflects those values in his leadership the best he can. So, we’ll see how the season plays out and go from there.”
Smith is 20-28, and the Falcons have started four quarterbacks in his three seasons. Their inability to find a capable replacement for Matt Ryan, who was over the hill in his final few seasons in Atlanta, has the Falcons where they are.
They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2017, and having lost their past two games, both to division opponents, they aren’t likely to make it this year either. So, in addition to continuing to search for a franchise quarterback, the Falcons also could be looking for another head coach in the offseason.
