Saints' win was the last straw for Falcons head coach Arthur Smith
The New Orleans Saints wrapped up their season in an intriguing way. They beat the Atlanta Falcons, 48-17, in a game where their last touchdown caused controversy. Saints players chose to run a play that was not called by the coaches to score a TD with running back Jamaal Williams. It was his first score […]
The New Orleans Saints wrapped up their season in an intriguing way. They beat the Atlanta Falcons, 48-17, in a game where their last touchdown caused controversy.
Saints players chose to run a play that was not called by the coaches to score a TD with running back Jamaal Williams. It was his first score of the year, and his teammates felt like he deserved it. He'd been a great teammate all season and worked hard. They did not mean it as disrespect towards the Saints or Falcons.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was clearly displeased afterwards and went off on Saints HC postgame. You've probably seen the clip.
Fast forward to Monday. The Falcons fired Arthur Smith after the embarrassing defeat and a third straight 7-10 campaign.
His frustration after the game was assuredly because he knew of his impending doom.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler confirmed that the horrific loss to their biggest rival sealed the deal for Smith. The Falcons simply could not wait any longer to move on from him.
In the long run, it was probably a good loss for Atlanta. Smith had proven that he was not the answer at head coach for the Falcons. It's likely that he will get looks around the league at offensive coordinator or another position on an offensive staff.
For New Orleans, their victory and late-game actions were the straw that broke the camel's back in Atlanta.