'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arthur Smith's tenure as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons has not been successful, and there's a wide expectation that owner Arthur Blank will pull the curtains and fire him after another 7-10 season, the third in three seasons under his leadership.
But one specific moment caught the attention of NFL fans on Sunday, as the Falcons were dominated by the New Orleans Saints 48-17 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Arthur Smith was absolutely livid with Saints head coach Dennis Allen after a late touchdown from New Orleans, who wanted to give running back Jamaal Williams extra money through incentives.
After the final whistle, with both head coaches heading to the middle of the field for a final handshake, Smith was livid at Allen for running the extra play. A quick lip-reading has the Atlanta Falcons coach screaming "That's f***ing bulls***!" to his peer:
NFL fans, in turn, sided with the Saints' coach, stating that it's Arthur Smith's job to stop the opponents from scoring instead of complaining:
Is Arthur Smith in danger of losing his Atlanta Falcons job?
Back in December, when the Falcons were in the middle of the NFC South race, a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said that Arthur Smith was likely to survive another year as the head coach in Atlanta, barring a series of horrendous results in the final month.
And guess what happened.
Not only the Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs - they were dominated in the final games. Desmond Ridder was far from the answer at the quarterback position, but there were a lot of questionable things made by Smith as well, especially as it relates to Bijan Robinson's usage, and the lack of offensive production coming from a coach with an offensive background.
The only reason why the Atlanta Falcons lasted until the final week of the season still competing for anything was that the NFC South was the league's worst division in 2023. Had they played in another division, Atlanta would've been eliminated weeks before.
After three straight 7-10 seasons, Smith will likely be out of the Falcons' head coach job in 2024.
