‘Fair Criticism!’ Atlanta Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Addresses ‘Conservative’ Play Calling in Loss to Carolina Panthers
Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith shouldered some of the blame for his team’s loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Atlanta Falcons had another disappointing offensive showing on Sunday as they fell to the previously-one-win Carolina Panthers 9-7 in Charlotte.
Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder went 12 of 20 via the air for 152 yards, one score and one interception in the loss. The rushing attack wasn’t any better as Atlanta only put up 52 yards in that category, 11 of which came from running back Bijan Robinson.
Following the game, head coach Arthur Smith was questioned if he considered his play calling was overly conservative on the day, and while he didn’t entirely shoulder that responsibility, he did take part of the heat with his answer.
“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 said. “The wind, the rain, the ball popped, put on the ground twice. We had certain concerns we were trying to minimize and the protection. So that’s certainly a reasonable complaint.”
The weather is one thing, but if the Falcons intend to make the postseason, that argument won’t hold much water moving ahead.
Speaking of which, Atlanta’s loss made its chances in the NFC playoff race considerably more tough in the weeks ahead. The Falcons are presently 6-8 on the season and currently hold the No. 10 place in the postseason pecking order, three spaces behind the cutoff point, if the season ended today.
