We needed a win in the worst way

A loss to the Saints on Sunday would not have ended the Falcons season, but it probably would have felt that way to a lot of people in Atlanta.

The Falcons lost four of their five games leading into the bye and they benched quarterback Desmond Ridder before returning him to the lineup for their divisional matchup in Week 12. If they stumbled again, they would have fallen to 4-7 and chatter about what kind of changes the organization needs to make in the offseason would start to get louder.

Head coach Arthur Smith’s future would be central to such discussions, so it’s no surprise that he was as relieved as anyone with Sunday’s 24-15 win. The victory ended the losing streak and it also lifted the Falcons into first place in the NFC South.

“It’s just one game, but we needed that win in the worst way,” Smith said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.

At 5-6, the Falcons aren’t far away from the same dire straits they would have faced with a loss to the Saints so no one should feel too complacent in Atlanta. Next week’s trip to face the Jets kicks off a closing stretch that features just one winning team, though, so the Falcons may have righted the ship at just the right moment.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arthur-smith-needed-win-worst-125656469.html

Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Publish date : 2023-11-27 12:56:56

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.