Arthur Smith Job Safe After Falcons Win vs. Colts?

Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith may have helped his chances of keeping his job after beating the Indianapolis Colts.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 25, 2023

Arthur Smith Job Safe After Falcons Win vs. Colts? /

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The Atlanta Falcons kept their slim playoff hopes alive after a 29-10 win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The win puts the Falcons at 7-8, one game back of the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta has just a 10 percent chance to make the playoffs, but that could have been very close to zero had the team not won on Sunday.

In the Falcons' win, the offense looked far different than the unit that lost to the one-win Carolina Panthers a week ago. Arthur Smith made the change at quarterback, opting for veteran Taylor Heinicke over second-year pro Desmond Ridder, and the team looked massively different ... but does that have any say in whether the third-year coach keeps his job for one more year?

Smith, 41, is 21-28 as coach of the Falcons, and other people in the profession have been fired for marks even better than his. But will Atlanta blame its failures this season on him or the quarterback?

Give Smith, Heinicke Their Presents After Falcons Win vs. Colts

Sunday's win suggests that the quarterback may be the primary issue, and that may be enough to save Smith's job ... for now. Owner Arthur Blank has been a staunch supporter of Smith's, and could very well give him credit for a late-season push that could give the Falcons momentum going into the offseason and beyond.

It's very clear that change is afoot in Atlanta this offseason, but the last two games of the season still holds a lot of weight in whether Smith sticks around for 2024.

Published Dec 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.