It has been an up-and-down season for the Atlanta Falcons and head coach Arthur Smith. In Week 12, Smith and the Falcons defeated their divisional rival New Orleans Saints, and now find themselves in first place in the NFC South. However, the team is sitting at 5-6 through 12 weeks of the season and Smith acknowledged how badly his team needed this win after the game.
“It’s just one game, but we need that win in the worst way,” Smith stated per ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein.
While there is still plenty of football to be played before the playoffs begin, Smith has a point. A loss to the Saints yesterday would’ve put the Falcons in a two-game deficit over the Saints for first place in the division. Instead, they find themselves tied for first with the Saints while owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.
In other words, the Falcons are essentially in control of their destiny from this moment forward until they meet the Saints again in the regular season finale, a game that could have massive playoff implications.
The Falcons (or Saints) could be the first team to reach the playoffs with a losing record since the Washington Commanders (then known as the Washington Football Team) did it in 2020 when they went 7-9 and won the NFC East, earning themselves a home playoff game.
Smith and the Falcons are aware of how important their Week 12 win over the Saints was and are hoping it is the start of a strong finish to the 2023 campaign.
