Atlanta Falcons fire head coach Arthur Smith after missing the playoffs for the third straight season

By Sam Joseph, CNN

(CNN) — After finishing with a 7-10 record for the third season in a row, the Atlanta Falcons have fired head coach Arthur Smith.

The Falcons’ season ended on Sunday when they were blown out on the road 48-17 by their division rivals, the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta announced the decision to move on from Smith in a statement, kicking off what is typically known as ‘Black Monday’ – the day after the end of the NFL regular season, which usually brings about a host of head coaching changes.

“The Atlanta Falcons have dismissed Arthur Smith as the team’s head coach following a meeting Sunday night in Atlanta with Falcons Owner and Chairman, Arthur M.
Blank, and the team’s CEO, Rich McKay,” the statement reads.

“We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years,” said Blank in the statement. “He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations.

“We have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position,” he continued, with the Falcons stating that the search for a new head coach will commence “immediately.”

Smith was appointed head coach of the Falcons in January 2021. The team sought to add offensive firepower via the draft during his tenure, selecting tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson inside the top 10 in three straight years.

Despite possessing promising young talent, Atlanta’s seasons consistently stagnated. Second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder struggled this year and was benched for Taylor Heinicke mid-way through the season as the Falcons struggled to get off the ground.

The Falcons lost four of their last five games this season, including a damaging Week 15 loss to a Carolina Panthers team that finished with the worst record in the league.

Smith also frequently came under fire from fans, particularly on social media, for his alleged misuse of Robinson.

The lack of progress under Smith will be highlighted in the offseason, as the Falcons’ blowout loss to the Saints means that they will have the eighth overall pick in the draft for the third consecutive year.

Sunday’s defeat provided what will be one of the lasting images of Smith with Atlanta as the game ended in some controversy.

With New Orleans on its way to a comfortable victory and the Falcons resigned to the reality of another missed postseason, the Saints entered victory formation with just over a minute left to see out the game.

However, instead of taking a knee to let the clock expire as is customary, the ball was handed off to running back Jamaal Williams, who entered Sunday’s matchup with zero scores on the season. Williams charged into the end zone, much to the frustration of the Falcons and bringing the score to 48-17 in the Saints’ favor after the extra point was kicked.

A visibly irate Smith confronted New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen after the game, furious that the Saints had opted to run up the score instead of taking a knee.

Allen apologized to Smith and the Falcons after the game, telling reporters that he had instructed his players to kneel down, but the players overruled him and scored the touchdown.

This was confirmed by Saints quarterback Jameis Winston postgame, who called it a “team decision.”

Though the Saints came away with the victory, they were also eliminated from playoff contention when the Green Bay Packers took down the Chicago Bears later in the day.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.