Arthur Smith's tenure with the Atlanta Falcons is under scrutiny following the team’s 9-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, where Eddy Pineiro's last-second field goal sealed their fate.
The Falcon’s defeat not only removed them from a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers but also marked the Falcons' second consecutive loss to division rivals, leaving them one game behind in the standings with three games left in the season.
The Falcons, which led the division just eight days ago, are now teetering on the edge of playoff elimination.
"There's consequences when you lose so these are natural questions, right? So it's NFL 101. The job is to win games."
Arthur Smith
The recent firing of three NFL head coaches this season, including Carolina Panthers’ Frank Reich, Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh McDaniels, and Los Angeles Chargers’ Brandon Staley, adds to the growing pressure on Smith.
However, it's worth noting that owner Arthur Blank has shown significant loyalty to recent coaches. He retained Mike Smith after a 4-12 season in 2013 and kept Dan Quinn after back-to-back 7-9 seasons. Both coaches stayed with the team until the following year.
Meanwhile, Smith has to win all the remaining games to notch his first winning season with the Falcons. He currently holds a record of 20 wins and 28 losses over almost three seasons.
With the season-ending against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and Saints, a third consecutive 7-10 finish or worse might narrow room for justifications to keep Smith.
Despite the challenges, Smith expressed confidence in himself and his team, emphasizing that their goal is still to secure a playoff spot. His plan may involve making changes, possibly including another quarterback switch.
"When you're coming off two close losses like that in the division, a lot changes in eight days," Smith said.
"But we've still got three more. We've got to find a way. We've got a lot going on. We did it to ourselves. We've got get back in there and find a way to beat Indy."
Costly mistakes in Sunday's loss
In Sunday's game against the Panthers, Smith attributed a significant portion of the loss to turnovers in the second half by quarterback Desmond Ridder and running back Bijan Robinson, resulting in two field goals.
"The thing that hurts us the most, clearly, is the turnovers," said Smith. "That's not going to change in the NFL. There's a lot of things you can pick apart but that hurt us."
When asked about Ridder's starting status for the upcoming game against the Colts, Smith didn't confirm anything and said the team would continue evaluating the situation. Earlier in the season, Smith benched Ridder for Taylor Heinicke but later opted to bring back Ridder for Week 12 onward.
"Make sure we have the right plan and make the right decision that's in the best interest of this team to get back in the win column," the coach said.
Despite reports suggesting Smith's likely return for a fourth season, a loss to the 1-12 — now 2-12 — Panthers could be the start of a late-season collapse. Questions about Smith's use of offensive weapons arose as Robinson had only eight touches in the game, contributing to the Falcons' low seven-point score.
The Falcons' struggles on offense over the final three weeks could cast doubt on Smith's ability to lead. While they were 15th in points last season, there's been a drop from 21.5 points per game in 2022 to 18.4 in 2023.