Falcons fire head coach Arthur Smith

The Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith just hours after after his team lost 48-17 to the New Orleans Saints in their season finale on Sunday. 

In the first sacking on ‘Black Monday’, Smith, who took charge in 2021, leaves Atlanta after a third consecutive 7-10 record for the season, while also missing the playoffs. The Falcons haven’t made the postseason since the 2017 season, a year after they blew a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. 

Smith’s reign was marred by poor quarterback play and the lack of development of high potential draft picks, including their 2023 selection Bijan Robinson. Atlanta were also incredibly consistent during his reign and never won more than two games in a row during Smith’s tenure, and both of his last two seasons had at least a three-game losing streak.

Rumours are that Eric Bieniemy is the favourite to land the newly vacant job in Atlanta, and the Falcons will certainly be looking to go in the opposite direction to where they went with Smith. Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could also make a lot of sense with the amount of playmakers on this team.

More to follow.